


A modern Harmonic Convergence

by j_essyeap



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Couchsurfing Hostess Asami, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, backpacker Korra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27769045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_essyeap/pseuds/j_essyeap
Summary: Asami Sato:“Hiya, Korra, this is Asami, your Couchsurfing hostess from Oslo. Hope your trip is going well. Listen, I’m so sorry to ditch this on you so close to your arrival, but the trip that I had scheduled for the days you’d be in the city was canceled and for reasons beyond my control, I’m going to be at home during your stay at my house. As you know, the room you’d be staying in is my spare one so you can keep your plans of staying with me, if my presence doesn’t bother you, that is. Ok, hope you’re safe, and let me know if you’ll still want to couch surf with me.Asami.”OrKorra is backpacking in Europe and goes to Norway to chase the Northern Lights. Asami is a hostess on Couchsurfing, studying to take on her father's company after his death.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 136
Kudos: 370





	1. Monday

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys. So this is my first baby modern AU, and also the longest fic I've ever written so far.  
> I can tell you I've had an amazing time writing this and I'm really excited to be sharing it with you.  
> A few disclaimers: I'm not Norwegian nor Canadian, I've been to Oslo and Tromso, but only for a few days each and there might be some mistakes related to locations and what not.  
> The thing that I can relate the most about this story is about being a backpacker (although for a short period of time) and busking to make money as I go, but I did it in my country and not in Norway.  
> This is written already, but I'll be editing each chapter before posting, so expect updates every other day, or so.

Asami Sato:

> _“Hiya, Korra, this is Asami, your Couchsurfing hostess from Oslo. Hope your trip is going well. Listen, I’m so sorry to ditch this on you so close to your arrival, but the trip that I had scheduled for the days you’d be in the city was canceled and for reasons beyond my control, I’m going to be at home during your stay at my house. As you know, the room you’d be staying in is my spare one so you can keep your plans of staying with me, if my presence doesn’t bother you, that is. Ok, hope you’re safe, and let me know if you’ll still want to couch surf with me.  
>  Asami.”_

Korra, reread the message on her phone and couldn’t help to feel a little annoyed by the sudden change in her plans. She was currently on her way to Oslo on a pretty expensive blabla-car ride. _Fuck! Why was Norway so expensive?_ She’d normally travel by bus and stay in hostels with four other people in the room max - a very personal choice of her, more than that was just asking for poorly slept nights -, but this damn country and its currency was simply out of her league, monetarily speaking, so she had had to adapt. Paid rides and Couchsurfing it is, then, let’s try and make good of that totally innocent-guided and rash paid subscription to Couchsurfing she had done a few months ago when she was still back home planning her trip.

If Korra was being honest, it was simply too good to be true. A whole stranger’s house all for herself for free? She had been suspicious at first, but as she read through the profile of the hostess, she had convinced herself that it wasn’t a trap and she wouldn’t end up dead inside a garbage bag deep down on the bottom of Akerselva - Oslo’s biggest river -, weird fish, her only companion. Well, probably.

She kept making easy conversation with Amanda, the woman who was driving her to Oslo, just a couple more hours, and she’d be in the capital of Norway, a not-so-old dream of her, and tried not to dwell much on the change of plans. It wasn’t a big deal, right? She was just being grumpy because she didn’t like last-minute changes in her plans, but she still had a place to stay, after all. She just hoped this Asami woman wasn’t some kind of weirdo, but thanks to her ratings on the website, Korra doubted she would be. Best case scenario, she finds a friend to give her tips on nice places to see and busy places to work in the city. She took a few minutes to answer Asami that she’d be okay staying there as long as she wasn’t imposing and got a fast reply saying that no, she wouldn’t be imposing.

She made sure to get her guitar out from the trunk as soon as Amanda parked outside Oslo Bus Terminal. She was not repeating that mistake, less so in Norway, where everything was already so expensive and she was on a budget even before arriving in the capital. She put Asami’s address on her phone’s GPS and confirmed it was a mere 20 minutes walk to her place. After briefly letting her hostess know she had gotten safe to the city and that she was on her way to her place, she set to walk, her huge 80L Mountain Warehouse backpack on her back and her guitar case hanging from her shoulder.

This first moment in a new city, on her way to a hostel, or someone’s house, was not her favorite part of the trip, surely, but it still held a good place in her heart. More so, when it was a new city in a new country, like this time. She’d usually take her time walking - no reason to rush with so much weight on her back -, smell the scents and see the sights, observe commuters, walking, driving, or riding by their daily routines absentminded. It was mid-morning, so things were not going too fast, but she could already feel the mood changing into the busier time of lunch break.

The weather was cloudy, but wasn’t cold just yet, mid-September as it was, but she reckoned that it would be getting colder as the day went on, making a mental note to get an extra layer of clothes when she went out again after leaving her things at Asami’s and eating something simple. This was one of the downsides of using Couchsurfing instead of booking herself a paid room somewhere, after a fifteen hours trip from Stockholm in tiny cars with a few different drivers, she’d probably be ok with staying in this afternoon, reading or watching something, practicing her set or even sleeping, but she always felt weird doing so when she was Couchsurfing someone’s place. She felt like the hostess would judge her for not going out to enjoy every second of her stay, or at least that she would be imposing by staying a whole afternoon chilling in their house. If she were staying in a hostel, today she would probably lay down and watch something until she fell asleep and go out looking for a bar later, to get the feeling of Oslo’s night scene.

Her phone chimed a “you have arrived” notification as she found herself in front of a discreet but chic-looking condo just outside the busy center of the city. The neighborhood seemed calm and beautiful, with lots of trees with orange-colored leaves, giving the streets a sleepy atmosphere.

As previously instructed, she pushed the button near the mirrored door and gave her name to the doorman, who directed her to the elevator through a small outside area that contained beautifully sculpted benches and a few flowering bushes. Wow, this place looks really nice. She couldn’t help feeling a little out of place with her worn-out clothes, especially the ones she reserved for traveling, which were usually her most comfortable ones - baggy old black jeans and a gray hoodie.

A nervous feeling followed her to the front door of Asami’s apartment, which opened before she could gather the guts to knock. Korra immediately recognized Asami from the picture on her profile but said picture didn’t do justice to the woman in front of her. In-person, the already beautiful woman was _more_ , everything more than; her hair was darker and longer, her eyes were greener, her skin seemed softer. Her smile transmitted a confident, but easy-going vibe, as did her posture. Her outfit, however, passed on a more relaxed impression of someone who had recently found themselves with unexpected free time and hadn’t quite yet decided what to do with it - a white tank and gray sweatpants. “Hey, you must be Korra!”

It took Korra only a few milliseconds to recover from the slight brain freezing she had to gather her thoughts and greet her hostess. “Hi! Asami, right?” Asami nodded while gesturing for Korra to enter her apartment. “Is it ok if I leave these here for a moment?” Korra leaned her guitar near the front door, so she could take her backpack from her shoulders. She hadn’t bothered to align the straps before walking to Asami’s, and her shoulders were now suffering for her carelessness.

“Of course, here, let me help you.” She circled Korra and took the backpack leaving it near the guitar case. As Korra rolled her shoulders to release the tension and thanked her for the help, Asami came back into view. “So, how was your trip? Did you get here alright?” She gestured to the expensive-looking couch and followed as Korra made her way to sit.

Korra made a conscious effort not to plop down onto the comfy looking couch. Not following her example, Asami pretty much hopped onto the couch and sat on her own legs, on the other side of the couch, facing Korra. “Yeah, it was actually pretty chill, a few blabla-cars, all of them with pretty reasonable and even pleasant drivers and a hell of a lot of small talks, all crunched up in fifteen hours. Not my worst traveling memory, overall.” Korra was too tired to make a big deal out of the fact that Asami looked like a goddess and felt herself easily relaxing. “And you? I’m sorry to hear about your plans. Was it some kind of work trip?”

Asami waved her hand dismissively. “Nah, it was actually a small getaway trip my friend Opal thought we should have to de-stress from work and our masters degrees. We weren’t fast enough, though, she woke up with the flu today.”

“Damn, that’s bad luck!” Korra said, sympathetic. ”Where were you planning to go?”

“We booked a chalet just outside of Bergen, we’re planning to do some hiking and maybe crash by the annual food festival that’s happening there. But it’s not a big deal, we’ve been there more than a few times and since I’d already advanced my workload and my assignments, I got a few days to relax, anyway.” She paused and then proceeded more seriously. “Listen, Korra, I know that this was not what we had agreed upon, you pretty much thought you’d have the house for yourself, but I’d like you to know that you don’t need to change your plans because of me.”

Korra felt grateful for that and let Asami know she could understand - no one was free from unexpected events - and promised she’d try not to change her plans because of her. To make good on her promise she decided to stay in during the afternoon and as Asami led her through her spacious, well-lighted apartment, Korra carrying her backpack while Asami brought her guitar along, they exchanged other useful information about the house and each other - _here’s the kitchen, feel free to make yourself something to eat, you must be starving._ After showering, Korra came back to the living room and accepted Asami’s invite to make herself a quick sandwich - mainly from the ingredients she brought in her backpack from the trip from Stockholm, although she borrowed a few things from Asami.

“Would you like a sandwich?” Korra asked as Asami approached the kitchen.

“Oh, no, thanks. It’s not been so long since I’ve had breakfast and Opal asked me to feed her today, so we’re having lunch together soon. It looks delicious, though.” Now that Korra was feeling more like a human being after taking a shower and eating something, she had the energy to be astonished about how beautiful Asami was and she gulped a slice of her sandwich when the other woman smiled at her. “So, what are your plans for your first day in Oslo?” Her hair was up in a high bun now and she was dressed to go out - simple black jeans and boots and a thick red jacket.

“Uhm, I’m thinking about staying in this afternoon to rest a bit and maybe, going out tonight, you know, walk around, find some bar, feel the energy of the city.”

Asami gave her a satisfied smile. “Maybe we could go together?” Korra furrowed her eyebrows in question. “To the bar, I mean. I know some nice places around, and we could get to know each other. I’m dying to know your story.”

Korra couldn’t help the smile growing on her lips, looks like she might find a friend, after all. “Oh, I would love that! And I mean, there’s not much to tell, but I’d like to get to know you better, too.”

.

After Asami left for her lunch date with her friend, Korra laid down to put something on Netflix, but she was out like I light before the first episode ended. She woke up again by late afternoon and could hear the light noises of Asami using the kitchen.

“Hey!” She greeted and Asami looked towards her giving a once over her outfit. Korra was using nice black jeans and a button-up blue shirt with a white pattern under her jeans jacket, one of the nicest combinations she carried on her backpack, usually reserved for working and going out. When you were feeling the weight of your belongings on your back almost on a daily basis, you had to learn to live with little, and make the most of it, so during the time of her trip, she had had to leave some clothing items behind and acquire new ones that were fitter to this lifestyle.

“Hey! You’re up and ready!” Asami greeted her, enthusiastically. “Here, I brought some pastries for you, feel free to eat while I get ready. I was thinking we could eat something at the place we’re going to. D’you sleep well?”

“Like a rock.” Korra found herself a nice doughnut and took a huge bite of the thing, closing her eyes as the sweet melted in her mouth. “Sounds great, but only if I’m paying, and thank you so much for this, it’s delicious.”

Asami gave her a mischief smile over her shoulder before disappearing inside her bedroom. “Let’s see about that.”

.

As they left the apartment, Asami asked if Korra was in the mood for a more tourist-y kind of outing or if she’d like to meet one of the places Asami used to go to, less crowded and with local patrons Oslo, instead of tourists, to which Korra answered the later, but that she’d like directions to the more tourist-y ones, in the future. Those kinds of bars were more likely to let her play a few songs and pass her hat around the patrons.

“Oh, you’re a street artist, then? I was wondering about the guitar.” Asami asked while they walked in the chilly night.

“I mean, kind of. When I first started my trip and even sometimes nowadays I play on the streets, but I met a few musician travelers, and basically, all of them advised me to get out of the streets and into bars and restaurants that would let me play a few songs and pass a hat around. And they were right, the tips are way better this way.” Asami nodded, while they arrived at their destination. Asami led her through the other patrons, towards the bar and ordered something for herself, as Korra touched her hand. “Let me pay this one for you. It’s only fair since you won’t let me pay for the food we’re eating.” As Asami opened her mouth to protest, Korra added. “C’mon, I’m staying at yours for free, you know how much I’d be spending if I had had to book a hostel? You’re doing me a favor, let me try and repay you the best I can.” To which Asami smiled shyly and nodded her acceptance. “I’ll have the same beer she asked.” Korra told the waiter, even though she had no idea what Asami had ordered. “I’m also planning on cooking for you one of these days, I doubt you’ll be annoyed after you taste my food.” She playfully said.

With their drinks in hand, they headed back to the outside tables at the front of the bar. “Well, I’m not gonna say no to homemade food.” She chuckled. “But it’s not that I‘m annoyed.” They sat facing each other and Korra was happy they had decided to go out together this first night. Asami was a good company and it was nice to meet someone right away. Traveling alone could get lonely sometimes and she had been craving connection for the last few days. “It’s just that the people I host always act as they own me something because I’m hosting them. Of course, gratitude is welcome, but this is not a one-sided relationship. I like hosting people.” She sipped her beer and Korra followed her example. “I enjoy the company and I love their stories. I’d love to travel around the world as you do, seeing beautiful places and meeting different cultures and people.” Korra felt her heart flutter at Asami’s dreamy expression. ” It’s like when I’m hosting travelers, I get to be a part of this lifestyle just for a bit, you know?”

“Yeah, I think I get it, but why don’t you?” And as Asami leaned her head to the side, she added. “Travel around, I mean?”

“Oh, uhm, too many responsibilities, I guess.” She scrunched her face. ”Not to ruin the mood, but my father died when I was 21 and I’ve been studying ever since to take over the head of his company. Well, my company, I guess.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that and well, maybe after you finish studying you’ll get to take a few months off.” She smiled empathically. “What are you studying, by the way?”

“Ugh, so many things at the same time! I wanted to study automotive engineering, but I also needed to know a lot about business management, so I’m kind of doing both. I love the first one, and I absolutely hate the second one.” As Asami talked a bit more about her studies, Korra seized the opportunity to watch her. She seemed at ease in this environment, talked freely and sometimes even loudly about her interests. Korra couldn’t even tell if English was her first language or if she was from Norway, her accent was flawless, as it usually was when someone learned the language a long time ago and used it often. She was using a thick black jacket now, and her hair was tucked under a dark red scarf. “What about you? Did you go to college?”

“Uhm, yeah! I studied music theory. But I haven't finished it yet. I took some time out after my second year. I’ll probably continue it once I get back home. I liked it,... kinda. Well...” She chuckled. “I don’t think I would ever want to follow any kind of career inside the university, but I liked my classes, that is.”

“Hm, yeah, I know what you mean.” Asami was already past half of her beer. “So, this is a “find yourself” kinda trip, then?” She asked curiously. “You took some time to gather your thoughts about your career?”

“Yes, but not about my career. I still have no idea what I want to do about that. If anything, now I’m even less worried about jobs and careers than before. Once you know how easy it is to live with only an 80L backpack of belongings and how _well_ you can live with literally people’s changes,... I don’t know. I just have the feeling that wherever I am and whatever I do, I’ll handle myself, you know?.” Asami smiled at that. “The reason for this trip,” She moaned embarrassed, rubbing her eyes to shake the feeling away as Asami chuckled, her face curious. “It’s such a cliche that I’d rather it was about my career.” She chuckled. “But yeah, it was a heartbreak that left me messed up enough to take some time off from university and literally fly over a whole ocean to heal myself.”

“Wow, that must have been a hell of a break-up.” Asami said, impressed.

“Yeah, we were together since I was 18, so five to six years,” _Yeah, as if you didn’t know the exact number of months left until the five years mark, sure, Korra._ “And I -” She paused, confirming if she wanted to talk about it or if she should just change subjects. “I just... lost myself in the relationship, you know? It wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t hers either. Kuvira was a nice person, but... yeah, I didn’t know who I was anymore.”

Asami smiled. “I think that’s reason enough to take some time to find yourself somewhere else. Don’t feel embarrassed about your story. It’s yours, and it brought you here, this Korra wouldn’t exist if not for that other one.”

Korra sobered, munching the words. “Yeah, you’re right, of course. I think that traveling like this is so, so intense, I’ve seen so much, I’ve felt so much, that it’s easy to think that a broken heart is such a silly problem to have, you know.”

Asami nodded. And then. “So... Did you?”

“Did I what?” Korra was lost in the playful smile Asami was giving her. “Find yourself.”

“Oooh.” Oh! Did she? Well. “No, no I didn’t.” She smiled. “But I’m getting there.”

“Well, I’m glad to be part of your journey, then.” Asami touched Korra’s hand over the table and squeezed lightly. “Here, let me get us another round.” And she retrieved Korra’s glass before she could recover enough to notice Asami’s plot to pay her a drink.

As her eyes followed Asami around the table and into the bar, Asami shot her a glance over her shoulders and winked.

_WINKED! Wait, did she just flirt with me?_

.

They kept drinking and shared some fries while talking. Asami wanted to know some of the places Korra had been to and what had been her favorite memories so far.

_“My favorite country up until now is Italy, because of the food, and the people. Italians are just the best people, they’re fun and irreverent, I met the coolest locals there, so far. And my favorite memory is from a family beach just outside of Lisbon in Portugal, where I met this little girl who was absolutely obsessed with me because of my guitar. She liked me so much that we spent the whole afternoon playing on the sand and their parents invited me to stays at their house for a couple of days after that. They’re really nice people, we went out together a few times and I had such a good time with them.“_

Korra wanted to know more about Asami’s experiences on hosting people, and the travelers she had met so far.

_“I can’t say that I’ve had any bad experiences with Couchsurfing, yet. All of the travelers I’ve hosted had a few good recommendations on their profile and I make a point to check it before hosting someone. Every traveler has their own stories and this is the best part of hosting, getting to know their experiences and stories. I’ve hosted for people who, like you, were traveling to find themselves, for people who were running from themselves, people who were simply looking for a good time. People who had saved money to travel and people who were making money as they went. Loners, couples, and groups of friends. Last year, I hosted for this girl,_ who was hitchhiking with her dog. _She had this whole performance, where she’d go to a park and do some juggling and the dog would follow simple commands, like actually participating in the performance? It’s just so nice, I went to watch it, once. In the end, she let anyone who tipped her feed the dog with some treats she’d bring. Children went crazy at this moment. I think she was doing a lot of money with that performance. I enjoyed her stay, she was such a lovely girl. Anna, I miss her.”_

Korra was enjoying herself a lot. She slowed down on her drinking after her third beer, but Asami kept going for a couple more and when they decided to call it a night and head back to Asami’s, they walked closer to each other while Korra told Asami her plans for the next day.


	2. Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm so glad about the attention that the first chapter of this story got!  
> As promised, here's the second chapter. I'm not good with chapter summaries, so we won't be doing that if that's alright.  
> A couple of things I forgot to tell you: this story won't be having a huge amount of drama, although you might find a little bit of angst here and there cause you know, I'm human.  
> Also, this story is sooo self-indulgent I can't even, yk. Like, I was feeling down because of social distancing and I decided to write something to make me feel better, and then this story was born.

Korra woke up early the next day, the kind of early her old self, the one that was still back in Canada studying music, would call stupid o’clock. But her current self, the one that traveled and worked and _lived_ fully had learned the value of light hours and of enjoying the day at its full. So she woke up at her normal hours and got ready to enjoy her first official full day in Oslo. She ate a fast, but full breakfast at a local coffee shop near Asami’s and made a mental note to pass by a supermarket to buy some food for her stay in the city - no way she would keep using Asami’s.

Oslo was not that big of a tourist city. There was an Opera House, a museum dedicated to Van Gogh, and a whole bunch of other museums that were not her cup of tea - except for the Viking Ship Museum that she was considering to visit cause, you know, that sounds cool. But she was not that kind of traveler, and neither was Oslo’s attractions the reason she came to Norway, anyway. She planned to stay in the capital just enough time to make some money playing and then head straight to Tromso, the capital of the Northern Lights, of course. But that didn’t mean she was about to throw away the chance to walk around and see interesting things.

And that’s what she did with her morning. As lunch break approached, Korra decided that she was in the mood to play in the streets instead of going to establishments. That happened sometimes. Usually, when she was feeling the need to sing louder and cheesier songs. When she was in the mood to make more people smile and feel fresh air entering her lungs, while she did. Or when she was in the mood to play her original songs. Today it was all of the above, so she walked to one of the locations Asami had told her she had seen artists busking, set her flashy hat right in front of her, and sang the afternoon away.

Singing in the streets was always a freeing experience. Of course, she had to play more to make good money, but there was something about singing to commuters going about their days that always brought a good feeling to her heart. The power to make someone get out of their head for only an instant, the smiles she’d get, even if they didn’t tip. There were also the ones who would wait for a break in her set to come and talk to her, congratulate her, or thank her. People who’d stop their routines to listen to her, children who’d ask their parents for some change to give her. Korra always felt more present in this kind of performance. She’d go back to whatever place she was staying with her throat raw and her head hurting, but it was always light steps that guided her home after busking in the streets.

Today, it wasn’t different, though she suspected that there was another factor influencing the excitement she felt about going home. More than once, she had caught herself thinking about Asami throughout her day. The night before, they had had fun together. Korra couldn’t help thinking that they had connected somehow. And she was excited to get there and share the things she had seen and done with her host.

It was thinking about Asami and about cooking for them tonight, that, after leaving the supermarket near her house, Korra took a turn without looking, and suddenly all the air left her lungs at once. She felt the pain before getting a hold of what’s happening and the next thing she knew, she was on the asphalted floor, her shopping bags all over her and she registered a sharp sound coming from her guitar case as a very concerned looking cyclist was upon her speaking hurriedly in a language she couldn’t understand.

”Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch. Oh man, that hurt.” The cyclist gave her a confused look before switching to English to speak to her.

“I’m so sorry, you came out of nowhere.” He said in a thick accent, apologetically. “Are you alright?”

“Kinda. It really hurts, though.” She assessed her body, looking for anything that might be broken, but it seemed everything was ok. _Lucky me._

The stranger - she didn’t ask for his name, helped her through the last couple blocks to Asami’s apartment, all while apologizing for a ridiculous amount of time and asking her if she was sure she didn’t want to go to a hospital - to which Korra said no emphatically every time, and left her with yet another embarrassed sorry, before hopping back on his bike and going his way.

Asami was sitting on her couch using her computer when Korra opened the door with the spare key set she had given her yesterday. She limped her way to the counter, leaving her bags and looking Asami’s way for the first time since. “Hey.” She greeted, shyly, with a lop-sided smile, as the other woman seemed shocked by her appearance.

“What happened to you?” She seemed to be over the shock, and the concern on her face made Korra want to comfort her.

“So, I’ve had an interesting day.” She said, conversationally. “The only downside was that people kept tipping me coins with holes in them. Norwegians are so rude, like, if you don’t want to tip me, just don’t.” She was thinking about this one the whole afternoon and she was proud, ok?

Asami studied her face long enough to confirm that Korra was joking and went ahead and ignored the joke altogether. _The audacity!_ “Korra, what happened?” Asami was near her in two long strides.

“ ‘took a turn without checking and got in the way of a bike.” She huffed, resigned, and hissed as the other woman touched her face lightly.

“Sit there.” Asami pointed to the couch and left the room hurriedly.

She came back after a few minutes with a first-aid kit and a bowl full of water and set to clean Korra’s scratches. “I’m fine, really,” Korra reassured her. “I mean, it hurt like a bitch right after, but now it just stings a bit and my left foot hurts.”

“I’ll get you some ice after I clean these up.” Up this close, Korra noticed how green Asami’s eyes were and couldn’t help but feel her heart skipping a beat, as Asami silently took care of her bruises. For a few seconds, Asami studied her face with both hands holding Korra’s head and nodded approvingly as she concluded she had gotten all of them. It was over too soon, and maybe Korra imagined the few extra seconds Asami kept holding her head, but as Asami left her side to get the ice from the fridge, Korra’s eyes followed her the whole way.

“I wish I could say the same about my guitar, though.” Now, her heart was squeezing for a different reason. “I didn’t check yet, but I’m pretty sure it broke in the fall.” She hissed when her hand touched one of the cleaned bruises, in a gesture of frustration. Fuck. Her guitar was probably broken, and that meant she would have to fix it or god forbid it, buy a new one. That meant she would be a few days without making money. But, even worse than that, her guitar had been her most faithful companion since the start of this trip, it had been there at her worst and her best if it was broken beyond repair, Korra was pretty sure she’d want to write a eulogy, or, more appropriate, a song. _Well, that isn’t such a bad idea._

Asami came back and handed her the ice pack. “I’m so sorry, Korra. Here, lift your foot, and let’s give it a look.” She went back to the door, where the guitar was leaned on. As Asami grabbed the case from the neck, it wobbled around confirming Korra’s suspicions that the neck of the acoustic guitar was now loose.

She sat at the edge of the couch, now occupied by Korra’s stretched leg, and rested the case cautiously on the center table. Korra groaned when her fears were confirmed, as Asami opened the case: the neck had broken at the heel. “Is it... fixable?” Asami asked, sympathetically.

“I mean, yeah?” She sighed deeply, having a hard time adjusting to the fact that her guitar was broken. “But, obviously I don’t have the tools nor the materials, so I’ll probably have to get it to a luthier, and, although I get their work is a very valuable one, I don’t think I have the money, and ironically, neither the resources to make it. They’re usually really expensive.” She sighed yet again, unable to put an end to her self-pity party. “It might even be cheaper to simply buy a used one.”

Asami hummed thoughtfully. “There’s something you don’t know about me.” She said, solemnly, but with a playful smile on her face, as she made a show of retreating the laptop she’d abandoned on the floor, leaning it so that Korra could see, and searched for the words ‘neck break acoustic guitar’. “I like to fix things.”

Korra all but giggled at the adorable way she had said that, with a cute smile on her face. “What do you mean, you like to fix things?”

“I mean, like I like to fix things, broken things, anything.” She found a few video tutorials on youtube and marked them for later, then turned back to Korra and further explained. “Since ever, I was always that kid that would disassemble their toys and try to put them back together. My father nurtured this side of me, buying me more and more complex toys and challenging me to fix them. That’s one of the reasons I chose engineering.”

Korra smiled imagining a small Asami crouched on the floor, messing with toy parts. “And do you think you can fix my guitar?” It was hard not to get her hopes up. “We’d need supplies, probably some really strong glue for wood, I can buy them, but the most challenging thing would be a press.”

Asami answered her with a rather poised smile. “Leave it up to me.” She tapped her legs and got to her feet. “So, do you want to go shower and clean the rest of your bruises?” She pointed her head towards Korra’s arms and hands. “I was thinking about ordering in and then you can tell me about what other things you did besides getting yourself run over.”

“Yeah, a shower would be nice, but I was thinking about cooking today if you don’t mind.” She turned to her left leg under the melting ice pack and wiggled her toes. “I think I can manage it if I hop around on my right foot mostly.”

“Absolutely not! As much as I’m looking forward to that, today that leg stays on that couch.” Her tone was firm, but she softened it to add. “I know it was just a bike, but it’s best if you rest your foot today so you can feel better tomorrow. I’ll order in, I’ll even let you pay if that’s what it takes.”

“Ok, deal.” She agreed, promptly.

.

Asami didn’t let her pay. They split.

They were sitting on each end of the couch, facing each other. Korra’s leg was, as dictated, still stretched and beneath a new ice pack, while Asami was sat over hers. The TV was forgotten on the main page of Netflix, they hadn’t even gotten to choosing something to watch. Instead, they had spent the last few hours stuffing their faces off of Chinese and talking endlessly about the most various topics.

“So, why do your coins have holes in them, anyway?” Korra asked as Asami brought the chopsticks to her mouth.

“I have absolutely no idea.” She said, with her mouth full and a little flick of the chopsticks. Korra thought she looked cute and beautiful like that.

“I have traveled around a lot and it’s the first time I’ve seen one of these.” She was holding one of the said coins in her hand and trying to focus on Asami through the hole. “Wow, maybe it’s made like this so you can make necklaces with it.”

Asami laughed and Korra drank the sound as she had been doing the whole night. Asami had the most pleasant laughter. “Ok, you _have_ to know you’re not the first person who thought of that.”

“Oh, aren’t I, now? Shoot, I thought I was about to become a millionaire by selling necklaces made of coins and selling them for just a little more than what the coins are worth.” Her sentence was punctuated by a shiver.

Asami didn’t laugh this time, but she smiled and studied Korra’s demeanor. “Are you cold?”

“Uhm... a little? My foot is probably frozen, buried under that ice, maybe it’s enough?”

“Oh, yeah, I think so.” Asami, who was closer to Korra’s foot, took the ice pack and left it under the center table, taking Korra’s foot in her hand and studying it. Her hands were amazingly warm and Korra couldn’t help but exhale at the touch. “Does it hurt?” She was now turning her foot around.

“A bit, but not as much as before, I’m pretty sure it was just sore.” Seemingly content with this answer, Asami wrapped Korra’s foot with her very warm, very soft hands and squeezed it gently, supposedly to warm it. This time, Korra’s exhale resembled more of a moan, and she let her eyes fall closed, as she focused on the feeling of Asami’s fingers on her cold foot. “This feels good.” The shiver she felt this time had less to do with her being cold.

“So, what now?” As Korra opened her eyes to give Asami a questioning look, Korra noticed she had a slight blush on her cheeks. Gulping discreetly, she further explained. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just curious. Your guitar is broken, and I know this is how you make money while traveling. So, I wanted to know how bad this situation is.”

“Oh...” Korra did her best to focus back on this more serious conversation, as hard as it was while Asami’s hands kept rubbing her foot. “Hm, yeah, no, I’m alright for now. Experience taught me to be cautious when it comes to money, so I try to get to a new city with enough of it for my stay, as I work to make money for the next city on my itinerary.” She was proud of this system, it had proved to be the safest way of traveling. “So, when I left Stockholm, I had already saved enough money to stay here. As to what I’m gonna do about Tromso, I can mix drinks, so I’m thinking about looking for a bar that’s willing to let me work for them, on the busiest days.”

“Oh, you know how to mix drinks?” Asami asked as she felt around her corner of the couch, looking for her cellphone. “Wait, I might know a place you can work.” As she found it, her free hand went back to Korra’s leg, only this time, she rested it on Korra’s shin and absentmindedly rubbed Korra’s skin with her thumb, as she listened to the dialing tone. “Hey, Opal. How are you, babe? Are you feeling better?”

At the affectionate term, Korra felt her heart squeeze. _Oh, so she likes girls, but she has a girlfriend? Damn..._ She was surprised by how disappointed that made her feel. She couldn’t deny that Asami’s attention and her sweet, sweet personality was getting harder and harder to ignore.

“Ok, that’s good, I hope you get better, soon. Look, is Bolin with you right now? I need to talk to him” The answer that came through the phone was so loud and filled with mocked exasperation that even Korra could hear it. _“What do you want with my boyfriend?”_ Korra raised her eyebrows. _So, Opal is not her girlfriend, then, and we’re back to square one._ “C’mon, Opal, it’s business talk.” Asami rolled her eyes.

As Asami explained to Opal’s boyfriend that she was hosting someone who was looking for a few odd bartender gigs, Korra tried to pay full attention to the conversation, instead of to the funny feeling she was getting in her stomach. She keeps getting more and more awesome, _I’m so fucked getting a crush on my host. This rarely ends up well._ “So, I got you a place to work this weekend. Well, actually, from Thursday to Saturday, if you’re interested.”

“Are you kidding me, this is awesome, Asami! How did you even...” She couldn’t believe her luck. “Oh my God! You’re the best hostess ever.” And at that, Asami squeezed her hold on Korra’s leg briefly and then finally noticing the wandering of her hand, retreated it. Korra felt cold, all over again, without her touch. “Oh, but,” Korra deflated. “This would mean I’d be staying in Oslo for more time than we agreed upon on the Couchsurf site.”

“Have you already made arrangements for your stay in Tromso?” Korra shook her head. “So, what about it?”

“I mean, this doesn’t bother you? Maybe I can find another place to stay, over the weekend.”

“Korra! C’mon, of course it doesn’t bother me. This was an unexpected event and we are getting along well. Of course, you can stay a few more days.”

“Ugh, best hostess ever!” Asami smiled at her dramatics. “So, Opal’s boyfriend owns a bar?”

“Yeah, Bolin’s a pretty chilled guy. He likes making silly jokes.” She had a mischievous smile on her face. “I think you’re gonna get along well.”

Korra narrowed her eyes, before chuckling. “Thanks, I guess.”

They spent the rest of the night with Asami teaching her some of the words she would need to know to work in the bar. They were mostly names of drinks and numbers, so Korra thought she could handle it. Plus, Asami told her that since the bar was near the university, most of the patrons would know how to speak English, and Bolin and Jinora would help her with the most complex orders. The Norwegian words felt weird on her mouth, but she'd always liked learning a little about the languages of the places she went. The fact that Asami, even though a patient teacher, kept smiling fondly every time she got the phonetics wrong was definitely a plus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art at the end is mine. I'll add one of Korra playing to the first chapter, too, eheh so, check that out.  
> Hope you like it. If you have any questions or idk if you'd like to talk about the story, feel free to use the comments.


	3. Wednesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you're having a nice day! Here the next chapter. Hope you like it

The next morning, Korra woke up early, as usual, to a silent house. A quick check on the key hanger confirmed that Asami was still asleep, rather than out. She was in the mood for some pancakes, so she mixed up enough for both of them. Asami surfaced soon after.

“Hey, good morning!” Korra greeted, happily. She was surprised when she found out that, after doing so for a while, she had turned out to be a morning person. After all those years in high school and early college choosing death over waking up early, she felt kind of betrayed by her own self. “I’m making us some pancakes.” She smiled as Asami peered over her shoulder. “You like pancakes, right?”

“Who doesn’t? What do you drink? I can make some coffee.” She was already setting the coffee machine.

“Uh, coffee makes me feel funny. But I bought some tea yesterday if you don’t mind heating up some water?”

“Sure.” A comfortable silence kept them company as they went by setting their breakfast and Korra had this strange feeling like she had been here, in Oslo, at Asami’s for more than just a couple of day, as if they knew each other for longer than that, so much so that if Asami had embraced her torso from behind, she’d have leaned back and kissed her without even noticing that this was virtually a stranger who she had met two days ago. But maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“How is your foot?” Asami asked as they started eating.

“It’s fine. I don’t feel any pain putting weight on it.” She stretched her left leg and moved her foot around as if Asami could see the absence of pain. “Maybe your feet rubbing has healing properties.”

Asami chuckled lazily. “I’m pretty sure it was the ice, but thanks.” She sipped her coffee while maintaining eye contact. “So, what are your plans for the day?”

“I was thinking about maybe visiting the Vikings Ship museum? Do you think it’s worth it?”

“Will you, like, unfriend me if I tell you I haven’t been?”

Korra’s shocked expression all but confirmed Asami’s suspicion. “Uh, no! But I’ll probably try and drag you there with me if you haven’t.”

Asami seemed very satisfied with this answer. “Ok, I think I can work with that, you _drag me_ to the Viking Ship Museum in the morning,” She punctuated the word with mocked unwillingness. “we grab something to eat, and then go get the supplies I’ll need to fix your guitar. Sounds good?”

“Sounds awesome! But only if you let me see you working on my guitar.”

“Are you afraid I’m gonna make it worse?” She lifted one eyebrow, feigning insult.

 _No, I just want to watch you mess around with guitar parts._ “Of course, not! I actually think I could learn something from you.”

Asami blushed. “Oh, ok, sure, you can keep me company.”

_._

The Viking Ship Museum, it turns out, was not as interesting as it sounded. At least, from Korra’s perspective. But then again, she had been nurturing too much expectation about it since she had found out about the museum. It was relatively small, and they had two big ships on display, but other than that, the short movie they showed telling about Viking history was the most interesting part of the visit. Asami seemed entertained enough, if not for anything, at least for the few comments and jokes Korra would throw her way throughout their tour, which, Korra thought, was reason enough to make the visit worth it.

On their way back to Oslo, Asami talked about her interests in cars, and how her father was kind of a collector of them. She had inherited his interest, but not so much the desire to collect them. For her, the one car she was driving was enough, and she was very, _very_ fond of it. Korra didn’t know much about cars, she told Asami she didn’t even know how to drive, to which Asami seemed perplexed. _“You should learn how to drive, it’s a very useful skill. If we had more time, I’d love to teach you. It’s not as hard as it seems._ ”

 _If we had more time,_ Korra thought, a funny feeling rising in her chest. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to spend more time with Asami? She knew she was being irrational. They had met in such a specific setting, Korra was traveling and Asami had been taking some time off from work and her studies. So far, they had shared their general interests and talked about traveling, music, and culture, and they had gotten along well for the last few days, but right now, they were living somewhat in a bubble, and that didn’t mean their dynamic would translate well into the everyday routine.

Besides, what was Korra even talking about? She couldn’t even remember the last time she had something that even resembled a routine. Her life was constant movement and said movement was the soul of this whole experiment. Some kind of speed challenge, putting herself in as many different situations and environments as possible, to see if she could find one that suited her and in the process find her lost self. But then again, if she found herself in a place and in the company she liked, wasn’t she allowed staying? Just a few more days, weeks maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time she had extended her stay in a city.

She was probably overthinking it, Asami hadn’t meant it like that. She probably didn’t even think her words could have the effect they had. It was not an invitation, it was just a thing people said.

“So, what about the press?” Korra asked as she looked through the bags full of the supplies Asami would need to fix her guitar. They were now sitting at the Frogner Park, eating something light before going back to Asami’s to start working on her guitar.

The park was huge and was home to a few of the most bizarre sculptures Korra had ever seen, maybe even more than the ones she saw in Barcelona, with Gaudi's legacy spread all over the city. Korra loved it. Her favorite one was some kind of obelisk made of statues of people. It kinda looked like a vertical orgy. It was actually very beautiful.

“I’m having one of my father’s- I mean, _my_ employees deliver one that I think can be used to press wood parts. I’ll let them know when we get home and they’ll bring it to us.” She had a bit of sauce on her chin, Korra was absolutely _not_ going to clean it for her.

“Wow, you’re so important, Asami.” She said, playfully. “You have sauce on your chin.” Asami used a napkin to clean. “A bit to the left-, there you go.”

“Thanks.” She discarded the used napkin in the bag. “Don’t even mock me. I’m not totally comfortable with this whole ‘I own a company.’ thing. I feel like I’m too young for this. And I’m definitely under-qualified.”

“I’m sure you’re overthinking it. You seem like a responsible person and from what I can gather from my time here, you care a lot about the people around you. You’re a good person. Those are two good treats to have when you’re making decisions that can change a lot of people’s lives.”

Asami chuckled, shyly. “You’re not helping as much as you think. But thanks.” She sobered. “But that’s not even close to what I need to know.”

Korra waved her hands, dismissively. “Fair enough, but hey, you’ve got the basics, you can figure the rest out as you go.” And Korra couldn’t for the life of her hold the next words in her mouth. “Unless you want to throw it all out and come traveling with me. You’d be one of the travelers that are running from responsibilities. I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of those.”

At that, Asami belly laughed. “I’m sure there is.” But the look on her face was somewhat sad. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

.

So, watching Asami fixing her guitar wasn't the learning experience Korra thought it’d be. Not because the woman wasn’t managing to fix it, Korra was actually pretty sure she was doing an amazing job, more so if she considered that Asami had all but watched one video tutorial earlier that day. The problem was her and her lack of capacity to focus on anything but the woman in front of her.

Asami was surely making it as hard as it could be, even if not intentionally. She was wearing cargo pants and a white tank top, for crying out loud. Her hair was up in a bun and even though she was wearing this very focused expression that put a wrinkle on her forehead - _which was cute, by the way -_ , her eyes were shining so much so that Korra couldn’t help the fond smile on her face. _Oh, my God, what’s happening to me?_ As Asami put the guitar in the press and Korra’s eyes wandered to her arms, she thought it would be better to distance herself from her hostess for a few minutes.

“So, I’m thinking about maybe starting our dinner, is that ok? Are you even hungry, yet?” She could say she sounded a little breathless and maybe even nervous right now, she hoped Asami was focused enough to let it pass unnoticed.

She hummed, thoughtfully, assessing her level of hungriness. “Yeah, I’m hungry already. What’s the menu for today, chef Korra?” Korra thought that that smirk of Asami would be the death of her.

“Uhm, do you like broccoli? I was thinking I could cook some spaghetti in a white sauce with broccoli and bacon.” Korra touched the back of her neck, suddenly self-aware. “It’s a quick dish my Portuguese hosts made me once and I loved so much, I asked for the recipe.”

“Yes, I do and yes, please! Feed me that, sounds delicious.” The last words being more grunted than spoken, as she gave a last twist on the press lever. “Ok, now this stays like this for 48 hours so the glue can dry properly and it’s probably good to go.” She studied the guitar, seemingly proud of her work.

“Nice! You’re the best, Asami! I’ll run to the supermarket to get us some fresh broccoli.” She was practically jumping on her feet now.

“Ok, and I’ll shower while you go, we meet in the kitchen in twenty.” She said, cleaning her hands on a cloth. _On a cloth!_

“Deal.”

.

Korra was stirring the white sauce meticulously when the scent of Asami’s shampoo greeted her nose before the woman herself and Korra tried to ignore the fact she could already recognize it.

“Hey, you’re here already! How is it going? Can I help you with something?” She poured herself some water.

“Absolutely not! You are to sit over there and keep me company while I cook.” She pointed to the couch hurriedly since she couldn’t stop stirring the sauce until it boiled. “It won’t take too long now, and look, I found parsley. It’s going to be a full traditional white sauce, nonetheless.”

“Wow, I’m hyped. I think it deserves some wine, even.” Korra was a hundred percent aware of Asami’s every move behind her as she reached for a wine bottle over the counter.

She shut the burner as the sauce boiled up and started frying the bacon, next. She had already steamed the broccoli and would fry it briefly together with the bacon, then pour it into the sauce.

“It’s good that your first day working on the Earth Empire will be on a Thursday, instead of on a Friday,” Asami commented. “Bolin’s bar is near the university, so the kids can get kind of wild on the weekend.” She touched Korra’s shoulder, handing her a glass of red wine.

“Oh, Earth Empire, cool name! But hey, I think I can handle a bunch of college students. I’m actually very excited to work tomorrow, it’s been a while since the last time I got the chance to intoxicate young adults.” Now, the spaghetti.

Asami chuckled. “That’s an odd thing to miss, but alright.” She was leaning on the counter, next to Korra as she poured the spaghetti into the boiling water.

“It’s actually pretty entertaining. It’s a cliche, but people get chatty when they’re drunk and I like the experience of being sucked into someone else’s drama. It’s funny, I give’em advice and they act like it’s very perceptive, what I just told them, but in truth, it’s simply common sense. They’re just too drunk or too self-absorbed to notice.” As a silence followed this, Korra took her eyes from the burner to search for an answer on Asami’s face, what she found was a smile instead, as the woman studied Korra, tapping her nails on her glass. “What?”

Asami shook her head as if forcing herself back into reality. “Nothing, it’s just- If you don’t mind me getting all psychological, well, kinda.” She was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. “I mean, I just noticed, I host people cause I want in on the way they live, as best as I can, I want to feel the freedom one gets, by choosing a place on a map and getting themselves there by any other means.” She was looking ahead now. ”And I couldn’t ignore the parallel of you, wanting to listen to drunk people talking about their daily lives and their very normal, very routine problems. I’m absolutely not judging.” She added, hurriedly. “But don’t you think it’s curious?” She scrunched her eyes and looked back at Korra. “Funny, maybe.”

“Uhmm.” Korra took the time to pour the hot water from the spaghetti into the sink to think about what Asami had just said. It was indeed a very perceptive analogy. It’s been a while now she’d been missing some kind of normalcy in her life, she knew it. But she’d never thought about her bartender experiences as a place where she’d get a taste for this normalcy, that was new. And maybe... maybe she thought Asami was onto something.

Asami seemed to understand her silence for what it was and set the table for them. It was only when they’re both sitting in front of each other that Korra finally got out of her head. “Getting perceptive, aren’t we?” She chose to break the solemn mood, to which Asami simply shrugged, before elaborating. “Yeah, I mean, I _have_ been missing routine for a while. It’s not like an overwhelming feeling, you know, like something I feel every day, all the time. It’s like, sometimes, in certain situations, I get a glimpse of this feeling, this... craving for normalcy.” She handed Asami’s plate back to her and served herself next. She paused, waiting for Asami to taste while taking a sip of Asami’s very tasteful, probably very expensive wine. “This wine is delicious, by the way.”

Asami simply hummed to acknowledge her, but the hum soon turned into a small moan as she closed her eyes, tasting their dinner. “Oh, my God, Korra.” _Right after a moan? She’s fucking with me._ Asami opened her eyes to a blushing Korra. “ _This_ tastes amazing. I can’t believe you cooked this and you did it so fast.”

Korra chuckled, self-aware. “I take you don’t cook?”

“Hm, nah, not my strongest treat.” She spoke weirdly with her mouth not fully empty. “But I’m used to eating good food and this right here, this is very good.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you liked it.” Korra answered shyly and finally took the first forkful of her plate. It was indeed pretty good. “Anyway, but I don’t know. Every time I think about putting an end to my trip and heading back to Canada, it only makes me want to keep traveling?” She phrased it like a question unintentionally.

“Maybe you simply don’t want to settle in Canada.” Asami sipped her wine, narrowing her eyes, in thought. “Do you have anything there to which you’d like to go back?”

“I don’t know, a handful of friends and my parents, but I moved to study, so it’s kinda normal for us to go a few months without visiting and they also like to travel, so if I were to find a place I’d like to stay, they’d probably be ok with it.”

Asami nodded. “Yeah, so, maybe you miss stability, but not as you used to have in your country. Maybe this trip is for finding more than just yourself.”

Korra nodded thoughtfully. Asami was on point in most of her observations. But before she could get deeper into thought, something came into her mind. “Oh, yeah, there’s one more thing that is waiting for me back in Canada. My dog, she’s called Naga and she’s been with my parents since I went away to uni, but as soon as I get my shit together, she’ll be coming with me, wherever I go.”

Asami smiled. “You own a dog?”

“Yeah, she’s huge, my baby girl. Here, lemme show you some pictures.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, a few disclaimers:  
> I've never been to the Viking Ship museum, and people on the internet say it's actually pretty nice  
> To Frogner park I have been n' Korra's opinion about the obelisk was my opinion about it. Kept giggling every time I looked at it  
> I'm obviously clueless about how to fix a guitar. Much like Asami, I just watched a tutorial and thought "yeah, sure, Asami could do that" and went with it.  
> Last one, I'm actually Brazilian, but Portugal is closest thing to us in Europe, when it comes to culture, so that's the reason I chose it to be one of the most mentioned countries by Korra. The dish Korra cooked them is one of my favorites, and it's not at all a complex dish, I just wanted to keep it simple so it would be possible for Korra to find everything she needed in Norway. Like, both those countries are very different, right. And I don't know shit about Canadian food, so best to bet on things I know, yk, more or less.


	4. Thrusday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! I'm here with another one of these.
> 
> In this chapter, Korra sings an original song, and just so you know, in my head, Korra is singing Gramercy Park, by Alicia Keys, just cause I was addicted to it when I was writing the story and I used it as inspiration for her relationship with Kuriva.  
> Here's the link for the song, if you're interested.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WauEHL43Y

The next day, Korra woke up early, as usual, but allowed herself to stay in bed for a while. She knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and not for the first time, she wished she had her guitar. She was in that kind of mood, the morning session mood if you will. She wished she could deny, but the conversation they had had the night before brought a lot of feelings in her chest that she’d usually set free by the means of playing and singing.

They had called the night not long after eating, Asami had to answer some of the emails that had been piling up in her inbox and Korra took some time to revise the words she’d need to remember for tomorrow. Nevertheless, she thought, sooner or later, she would have to stop following the breeze and think about what she’d be doing after this little trip of hers found its ending, even more now that she was consciously thinking about maybe kinda wanting it to end sooner rather than later.

The challenge of indulging in this line of thought was that she truly didn’t know what to do after the trip. She knew that she didn't want to go back to Canada and back to university and back to music theory just yet. But that’s it, that’s all of what she’s sure, right now. So she found it easier to keep going, each day at once, each city at once. Choose a country, visit a few cities, then choose another one. It’s been like this for a few months now, and she found herself attached to the easiness of this process, to this freedom. But she couldn’t go on like this forever, could she?

When she finally left her room, she found a note Asami had left for her, letting her know that she’d be out for the day, working on some emergency on her company and that she’d meet her at Earth Empire later that day, so Korra decided to go out with no real destination, to simply enjoy the autumn sun, walk to the more tourist-y parts of the city, people-watch, maybe meet other street-artists if she’s lucky.

As the sun went down, she put the address Asami had sent her on her GPS and directed herself to the Earth Empire. Bolin met her at the entrance.

“Hey, Korra, right?” He greeted with his handshake. “So, you're the one keeping Asami company while Opal is down. How are you?”

“It’s more like Asami doing me a solid, but that’d be me, yes.” They talked a bit more about themselves and Korra thought Asami was right when she had said they’d get along. Bolin was a very upbeat guy, the type of person Korra’d be happy to call a friend.

He walked her through the where-abouts of the bar and gave her direction if any client asked for specific drinks Korra wasn’t acquainted with, but everything was pretty straight forward since she had done this before and she had been studying the Norwegian words she would need to know. Bartending is bartending, whether it’s Norway, Spain, or Germany.

As her shift went by she lost herself in the patrons and drinks. It wasn’t a busy night, for sure, but she was always serving some patron or another, and with Bolin and the other girl that worked for him, Jinora, to talk to, she was having a good time by the time Asami got to the bar, accompanied by a healthy looking Opal - Bolin had told her she’d be coming with.

By the sight of the hostess, Korra’s heart fluttered, they hadn’t seen each other today and Korra was ok with the fact that she had missed the woman.

“Hey.” Asami greeted her, smiling, and claimed the stool right in front of her, being followed by Opal. “Korra, this is Opal, and Opal this is Korra.”

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Korra noticed Opal’s eyes were green, too, but Asami’s were greener.  _ What a strange thought to have upon meeting someone. _

“Nice to meet you, Korra. Asami tells me she abandoned you, today. How was your day?” She said while giving Bolin a peck on the lips as he came to meet her eagerly. “Is my boyfriend treating you alright?”

Korra took a glass and pointed to the brand of beer Asami drank that first night out, asking the woman wordlessly if that’s what she wanted to drink, before answering. “Oh, yeah, I had a nice day, even though I didn’t do much. What are you drinking tonight?” Opal asked for the same brand of beer Asami was drinking and Korra poured it for her. “Anyway, I just went for a walk around the city, met a few travelers on the way, people-watched, stuff like that. And Bolin’s been great, obviously.”

They kept chatting on the intervals that Korra wasn’t serving any of the mostly university student patrons. Opal was pretty cool, as were all of the people Korra met since meeting Asami. Jinora was a childhood friend of Asami and Opal, and that’s how she got to work at the bar. She was studying law and Opal was studying business management with Asami.

Korra noticed Asami was quiet for a while now and she took the next opportunity to check on her. “Hey.” Asami’s elbow was resting on the bar and she still was nurturing her first glass of beer. “Are you alright? You’ve been kind of quiet since you got here.”

Asami answered first with a fond smile that made Korra’s heart, once again, flutter. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” She tilted her head. “Well, not tired. More like, frustrated. It seems like I won’t be able to run from work for as long as I wished. Things are on fire right now and my CEO doesn’t seem to be handling it without me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Korra touched Asami’s hand on the counter and the woman managed another smile as she looked at their joined hands. “But hey,” Korra lowered her head to meet Asami’s eyes. “Hey, you’re here now, in a uni bar, with a bunch of your friends, and” She chuckled. “Me, your very personal window for a life with fewer responsibilities.” Asami laughed at that. “And if you keep drinking and leave your worries for future Asami,” She glimpsed at the clock on the wall. “at my break, fifteen minutes from now, I’ll go over to that guy over there and ask to borrow his guitar and ask Bolin if I can play a few songs, one of which, will be an original.” She nodded, solemnly, as Asami raised her eyebrows. “And then, all the tips that I get will be invested in increasing your level of happiness, which means, drunkenness.”

At that, Opal, who neither of them had noticed had come back to Asami’s side after spending a few moments engaged in a conversation with Jinora, said. “Oh, Bolin will most certainly allow it, I’ll assure it.” She seemed very much excited about Korra’s plans.

Korra was suddenly nervous. “I gotta tell you though, my original songs tend to be a little... heartfelt.” She touched the back of her neck. “You know, sad love songs.”

Asami laughed. “I’m looking forward to it! You got yourself a deal.” Opal squealed.

.

Fifteen minutes later Asami was finishing her second glass of beer as Korra set the guitar into the sound system. This was something she had done countless times, but she was feeling anxious about singing for the first time in front of Asami.

She chose to play two of the most intricate rock covers she knew since rock worked best with this kind of audience - university night bars. Rock wasn’t actually her cup of tea, but as a performer, she had to know a bit of everything. But for the last song, she took the microphone to explain to the audience that she would be playing an original song and that after that, she’d pass her hat - she was glad that she didn’t break the habit of bringing it everywhere she went, even without her guitar - and collect tips, if anyone liked her performance they could pitch in if they felt like it.

At the initial solo of her song, she closed her eyes and went back to that fall afternoon, the one that had inspired the song. She remembered Kuvira’s green sad eyes as she said the words that she faithfully sang on the chorus, trying to explain that the person the other girl had loved was not the same Korra was anymore. They had been together for so long, molding to each other for so long, that Korra didn’t even know what was hers and what was  _ for  _ Kuvira. She couldn’t help to feel sorrow for the both of them, but at that moment, more than any other, she knew that she had made the right choice, ending their relationship, taking a break from school, traveling, seeing places, meeting people that brought her closer to herself in a way that she had never felt. People like that little Portuguese girl and her parents, people like the friends she had made in Italy to whom she still spoke on the internet. People like Asami. And as she opened her eyes at the final chords, blue eyes met green ones, and both sets were narrowed from matching smiles, and she felt that Asami saw her, like  _ saw her _ , her true self. And even though Korra wasn’t quite sure who that was, wasn’t there yet in the mission of ‘finding herself’, she felt that if people like Asami could look at her and  _ see _ her as Asami was seeing her now, maybe she was getting there.

She was getting there.

.

Korra was back to the bar, after getting the guitar back to its owner, thanking him for the solid and passing her hat around, which turned out to get her a reasonable amount of money. The movement was starting to slow down for the night, so she was spending more time talking to Asami’s friends now, together with Bolin and Jinora. Bolin handed a glass to Korra and told her to get herself something to drink on Asami’s - which was a joke because Asami was drinking on her from now on.

The hostess seemed to be in a much better mood after the few glasses she had had so far. She was far from being drunk or even tipsy, Opal let Korra know it needed way more for that. Which was good because it wasn’t Korra’s intention to get Asami shit-faced, she just wanted to make the woman smile. And she was now. Smiling, that is. A lot, mostly to Korra, as the backpacker shared a few of her funniest stories to their group.

It was Jinora’s turn to share one of her anecdotes about the few days she had spent in Amsterdam, back in her first year at university, when Korra saw before she felt Asami’s fingertips reaching for hers, lightly, like a question mark in the form of a touch, at which she promptly responded by turning her hand and intertwining their fingers. Korra’s heart was now behaving as if she had just run her lungs out to catch a very expensive, non-refundable train, but she chanced a glance up to Asami’s face and felt instant relief as the other woman’s gaze communicated that everything was ok, she hadn’t been imagining things and that she wasn’t alone in this. She had a tiny, almost shy smile on her lips and Korra responded similarly.

The moment passed and their hands retreated discreetly as Bolin announced the last call, and Korra and Jinora went back to work, now cleaning up and organizing the place back into order. Korra felt Asami’s eyes on her the whole time.

They called an Uber to go back to Asami’s, fingers hovering near each other, but not quite touching. Korra used the rest of the money from her performance to pay for the ride. They were silent the way up to Asami’s apartment. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it felt a little charged, nevertheless, as they walked into her place, at last.

“Korra.”

“Asami.” They chuckled as they said at the same time. The mood was solemn, however, and their laughs faded as they looked at each other directly for the first time since that moment in the bar. Korra stepped closer to Asami and the hostess mirrored the action. “Are you sure?” Her fingertips traced the side of Asami’s face lightly.

Her answer wasn’t spoken, as the hostess' eyes flickered briefly to Korra’s lips, before going back up to meet Korra’s eyes as she leaned in. At first, the kiss was soft, as if they wanted to enjoy every second of contact. Korra supposed it was exactly that, since this moment had been building inside of her from the moment she first met Asami, and now, in hindsight, she presumed it was the same to the other woman.

Asami tasted like beer and mint, it was one of the last things she thought before she stopped thinking at all. The world was silent as she felt Asami’s hands embrace her hips, grabbing the sides of Korra’s coat and pulling her closer. Korra’s hands started a dance of their own, touching Asami’s cheeks, neck, shoulders, their kiss deepening at each touch. It felt frantic, but she wasn’t, she was simply present in that moment, inside the other woman’s arms, in the living room of her apartment, in Oslo, capital city of Norway, in Europe, planet Earth. And she was painfully aware that she could have been anywhere else on this planet, but at that moment, all she could think of was a way to be somewhere - somehow -, closer to Asami.

Stopping to breathe sounded like the most absurd thought Korra had  _ ever  _ had, and as she opened her eyes to a heated-faced Asami, she almost forgot about it again. The hostess, however, seemed still attached to the obsolete concept of breathing, because she called Korra’s name, breathless, while Korra kept coming back to smaller, messier kisses. Asami’s lips danced around as she giggled. Soon enough, the giggling turned into a smile as she held Korra’s face and sought her eyes, before going back to Korra’s lips. Then, they were kissing again, Asami’s hand traveled to the back of her head and as she felt long fingers intertwining with her hair, Korra lost herself to the sensation. The kiss was deeper and faster now, as she felt Asami pulling her blindly in the general direction of the couch.

Soon enough, Korra found herself straddling Asami on the couch and as her brain got a hold of what was happening, her mind started to work again and her thoughts took a turn onto a more anxious path. This was happening, she  _ wanted _ this. At first, she was hesitant about wanting this, because she knew the stakes were high. She was staying in Asami's apartment for free, and the risk of finding herself without a place to stay, if anything were to go wrong, was not one she wanted to play around with. But then again, she doubted that any awkwardness could come from what was happening. She and Asami... They had connected on a deep enough level for her to believe so. However, if Korra felt safe enough to believe this was right, what did  _ this _ mean? Because right now, as Korra felt Asami shuddering breath on her ear as Korra explored her neck with her lips..., right now, this felt like it meant so much more.

Of course, on a deeper level, Korra also knew she should consider that if it did in fact mean more than a one night stand could conceal, was it wise to even  _ go _ forward, considering that three days from now, she'd be leaving Oslo for good? But Korra was trying to live in the moment, if for nothing else, because she  _ wanted _ this and she trusted Asami. So the other simpler, fairer, option would be to stop and talk before it went further than this, and they migrated deeper into the house than the couch.

“Asami.” Her hand touched the hostess’ shoulder, virtually distancing herself from her. Asami’s chest was heaving, as she loosened her grasp on Korra’s lower-back.

“Yeah?” Her voice was hoarse and her eyelids were low, but she seemed to sense the change in the mood if the focusing on her eyes were anything to tell.

“What are we doing?” She tried to convey the full meaning of the question through her tone. She felt rightfully anxious and rather idiotic for asking a time-out on a makeup session to incite what could probably be considered a minor DTR, but it was necessary. She had learned the hardest way to always take the necessary precautions, before putting oneself in an unknown situation. Korra’s time of impulsive behavior had come and gone, its consequences ever-present in every step she took, marked permanently on her sense of self.

Asami seemed to grasp Korra’s meaning and the huffed smile she let out conveyed that she wasn’t bothered about the interruption, maybe even sympathized with her worries. She leaned her head back, letting it fall on the couch while keeping her eyes on Korra, she looked thoughtful, bottom lip trapped beneath her teeth. “I don’t know.” The words ending at an almost whine as her eyebrows furrowed in a rather distressed expression. “I don’t. But I know what you mean, I do, I just” She hid her face back on the crook of Korra’s neck, inhaling. “I really want this, though.” Her voice came out muffled. And although Korra couldn’t help the outcome, Asami’s words and actions felt more like a way to dissipate her internal struggles with the situation than to entice more of what they were just doing. Asami retreating again was the only thing that prevented Korra from surrendering to their mutual desire and leaving the conversation for another moment. “Don’t you?”

And at the sight of worried insecurity that swallowed Asami’s desire, Korra knew that, once again, she wasn’t alone at this. That this -  _ them _ \- meant more than just what it seemed, that Asami understood the risks. It was as if the bump on Korra’s throat dissolved and she could breathe again. It didn’t matter if they still didn’t know what it was, because it meant she wasn’t alone, and it was enough to be with someone who shared her worries, took time being honest about them, and someone who ultimately simply  _ cared _ . ”I do.” Her voice was but a whisper, then, “I do.” She repeated stronger and as she leaned back into Asami’s eyes, the world was, once again, silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, that happened. eheh  
> I don't know if anyone here has read my other works, but I simply ADORE putting characters through this kind of conversation about the nature of their relationship, I don't know why, it is what it is.  
> Also, this story is marked mature, so fear not, I just don't like first times, and I felt like I could write a more interesting scene later in the story  
> Also, I'm loving the comments you guys are leaving down below, thank you so much


	5. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready? cause I'm not eheh  
> (this chapter contains NSFW content :B)

Korra woke up _surrounded_ by nothing but Asami. It gave all but one of her five senses an overload before she opened her eyes. She could feel Asami’s legs intertwined with her own, her hands on Korra’s chest. She could hear Asami’s light breathing sounds followed by a lazy hum as the other girl stirred from her sleep. She could smell Asami everywhere and she could taste Asami in her mouth, the aftermath of something she was very prone to repeat as soon as she could get the sleepiness away and finally open her eyes, to be then fully sense-wise encapsulated by the other girl.

The first thing she felt that wasn’t Asami related was the warmth of a sunbeam on her right leg, bringing her attention to the fact that it was probably later than she usually woke, the next one was the sounds of birds and the result of this set of stimuli gave her a sense of such solemn wholeness that she wanted it to stay like this for the rest of her day.

Such ambiguous desires - opening her eyes and meeting Asami’s; and staying in that blessed moment between sleep and full awareness - were soon but welcomely interrupted. “Hey.” The smile she would _hear_ on Asami’s voice was the final motivation she needed.

“Hi.” She smiled back because, honestly, what else was there to do? They simply looked at each other for a while. Asami brought her hand to Korra’s face, her thumb caressing her cheek as Korra closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. She felt lips brushing on hers and answered by kissing Asami’s lower lip lazily.

“Sleep well?” As Korra opened her eyes again she was happy to see that Asami was even closer to her than before.

She hummed, feigning contemplation. “Not so good as sleeping in my tent, but yeah, I think so.” Asami rolled her eyes.

“You can set it up in the guest room, if you want, I think there’s enough space.” Her tone was playful but she was _moving_ now and at that, Korra was not happy.

She let it clear by intertwining their legs even more as Asami tried to get up and out of bed. “Where the heck are you going? Please, tell me you don’t have to work today?” She worked a pout on her lips.

“Wish that I could, but it’s only for a couple of hours and it’s not now. I actually want to use the toilet.” She said with a smirk.

“Oh,” She untangled. “Sure, you can do that.” She said, satisfied. 

Asami raised her eyebrows at her. “Thanks.” She chuckled, freeing her legs from Korra’s grasp and going to the bathroom, as Korra was granted an amazing view of the girl’s naked body. “So, what are your plans for today?” Her voice was muffled by the closed door. 

Korra hummed thinking about the things she had researched about Oslo before coming to the city. “I was thinking about going hiking today, but, uhm, I woke up kind of later than usual, so I’m probably going tomorrow.”

Asami was back, she sat on the edge of the bed, over one of her legs. “Which one?” As soon as she was allocated, her hands searched Korra’s.

“Uhm, I’m torn between a viewing point just outside Oslo, Kolsas-something and a beach, what was it called, bygdoy? I know it’s not really beach weather, but I reckon up on a viewing point it’ll be colder than the beach right now and I don’t know, I’d like to see something besides the city while I’m here.” She scooched closer to Asami, resigned to the fact that the hostess wasn’t going to come back to bed anymore. “Which one d’you think is my best option?”

Asami smiled fondly as she guided Korra’s head to rest over her legs, mindlessly caressing her hair as she spoke. “Most of my favorite memories of my mother are on that beach. We used to go there almost every weekend, with or without my father if he was too busy to take the weekend off to go with us. She taught me how to swim there.”

Asami hadn’t spoken about her mother before, and Korra felt her heart squeezing as she realized the reason for that. A few silent moments passed before she spoke again.“How was she?”

Asami startled lightly as if she had been lost inside her mind, but her expression was serene rather than sad. “I don’t remember much, she died when I was five, but she was a good person, a loving mom, a caring wife. She used to paint. She liked the beach and she made me feel loved.”

Korra followed her eyes to a beautiful painting of white and yellow lilies hanging on the wall. “She sounds awesome. Is that one of hers?” Asami nodded, still smiling, her hands still fondling with Korra’s hair. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is, all of the paintings in my apartment are hers.” They spent a few more moments in silence before the hostess seemed to recover from the nostalgic feeling. “Anyway, I think your best option is _Bygdøy_ , definitely, it’s closer, the hiking is shorter and it won’t be as cold.”

“Would you -,” She was nervous, all of a sudden. “Would you like to come with me?”

The sight of Asami trying to hide her smile by biting her bottom lip put away the nervousness and enticed a loop-sided grin on her. “You’re gonna be the death of me.” Asami smooched her cheeks with both hands and leaned down to kiss Korra’s lips, but their positions were all wrong, so Korra lifted her body to meet Asami in a deeper kiss. She hummed as Korra bit her lip. “If you let me work today, I’ll probably be free tomorrow.”

“I can work with that.” She said, giving Asami’s lips a peck. “Speaking of which, breakfast? Are you up for some toasts and omelets?”

Asami closed her eyes and hummed. “Yes, please, I’m starving.”

.

Korra burned the omelets, though she reckoned it wasn’t all her fault, Asami had distracted her. She was sitting on the counter of the kitchen, playfully inspecting Korra’s cooking, but as Korra passed in front of her to get one utensil or another, she used her beautiful, _endless_ legs to wrap Korra’s hips and bring her closer. They kissed fiercely and soon after Korra found her head nested between Asami’s legs and as the hostess’ grip on her head deliciously bordered the thin line between pleasure and pain, her high moan was _not quite_ interrupted by the smoke detector. Korra couldn’t bring herself to care enough to not help Asami ride the rest of her orgasm, but as soon as Asami’s hands released her head, she was rushing to the burner to take the frying pan away from it.

Asami’s laughter was a beautiful, lazy thing, as she searched for her phone to disable the device. She came back to the kitchen and Korra couldn’t help the astonishing feeling of finding that one wishful thought she had had a couple of days ago being materialized as Asami wrapped her arms around her hips and kissed her ear lobe. “There’s a coffee shop two blocks from here.” 

That sunbeam Korra had felt earlier turned out to be the only one she would feel that day, the sky was now heavily clouded, and with the absence of the sun, it seemed it’d be the coldest day since Korra’d gotten to Oslo, mere five days ago. _Jeez, had it only been five days?_

During their stay in the coffee shop, Asami reminded Korra that her guitar should be ready by now, and Korra gulped the rest of her toasts in her excitement to get back to the apartment, not that it made any difference, since her company was still eating hers. 

They talked about the possibility of staying in today since Asami’s work consisted of contacting a few business partners via e-mail and one video-conference later that day. Korra asked Asami if her presence would disturb her, to which Asami denied, but Korra suspected she was lying. 

Nevertheless, that’s what they did. The glue had, indeed, dried and Korra took some time in her room to tune the new strings she had bought the day they went for the supplies. When she was satisfied with the results, she went back to the living room to find a very cute, very focused Asami using her laptop on the couch. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon like that, Asami working while Korra reacquainted with her guitar, playing wordless solos, contently providing ambient sound to Asami’s tasks. Korra cooked them lunch and soon it was time for Korra to head to The Earth Empire. Asami wasn’t going today since Korra _did_ disrupt her a few times during the day, nothing major and Asami had told her the small breaks were good for her productivity. 

Korra was happy to walk to the bar, so she could spend some time alone, gathering her thoughts about the huge twist her life had had the day before. She was, obviously, overjoyed by the fact that Asami reciprocated her crush, but she couldn’t help the mournful feeling of thinking she only had one more day with Asami before she headed to Tromso. She was, of course, excited about finally seeing the northern lights - she had never seen them in her home country, she suspected that maybe because they were so close to her, because it was something she could always just decide to do and simply do, she had always left it for another time, and another time and another time. A rather common paradox; she had found in her travelings, that it was pretty frequent that the locals had never seen the places she wanted to visit when she got to a new city, go figure. 

Anyway, of course, she was excited about the Northern Lights, but now the feeling had a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Leaving Olso to chase them meant that she’d probably never see Asami again. Her original plan was to head to Finland after Tromso and decent in the map to visit a few countries in Eastern Europe, no doubt the most critical part of her traveling, but she had to go. She didn’t want to be one of those travelers that only passed by the richest, most beautiful, and friendly part of the continent. She wanted to see it all, and coming back to Oslo wasn’t in her plans. 

Those thoughts let her feeling less joyful as she got to the bar, but she tried her best not to dwell on them. Bolin and Jinora were already there and Korra was surprised to find she was so happy to see them again. They were certainly nice people to work with and she thought that she had made the right choice to keep working on the bar rather than go back to playing in her last days in Oslo.

.

As her shift came to an end past mid-night, Korra was sure she’d find the house silent, Asami having already retreated to her room. She was kind of sad about it since that meant she’d be sleeping in the spare room tonight - no way she’d go knocking on Asami’s door to ask if they could sleep together, even if in the most innocent meaning of the sentence, no matter how much she wanted to and how much her thoughts from earlier had left her missing the woman she had seen just a few hours ago.

Her convictions were proven wrong, however, by the sight of Asami sleeping on the couch, the TV in a low volume on an episode of the fifth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. _Ha, cute_.

She approached silently as if she wasn’t about to wake her up and lowered her body near Asami’s face, knees on the floor. “Hey.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She wanted to touch Asami’s face as the woman opened her eyes to her, but the time they had spent apart had brought back Korra’s insecurities about what they shared. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

Korra thought that it should be illegal to be so cute, as Asami hid her face on the couch, still fighting sleepiness away. “I was waiting for you and fell asleep.”

“You know you didn’t have to.” She couldn’t help the tender gesture of guiding a fallen fleck of hair back behind Asami’s ear.

“I know, I just, -” She paused, fully awake now, but trying to gather her thoughts. “I was afraid you’d sleep in the guest room if I weren’t here to ask you to come to mine.” 

Korra felt, not for the first time, amazed by how much their thoughts converged in the most specific moments and she loved the fact that Asami was always willing to put herself out there about her feelings and her desires. “Yeah, I’d have and I came all the way mourning the fact you’d be sleeping when I got here.” She decided to follow the woman’s example in the display of honesty since it seemed to be working for them.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want that.” She smiled, lifting her body to sit on the couch, wrapping her hands around Korra’s face, as she kept knelt beside the couch. ”Korra, I wouldn’t want that _at all_. I want to spend every second with you before you go. I -” She swallowed visibly. “I don’t know what this is, and we have so little time left.” Korra could swear she had tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to waste any second.” 

This time, the kiss Asami initiated had a sense of urgency to it that Korra welcomed promptly. Their touches a quiet challenge to the little time they had left together as if they wanted to feel, and share and communicate everything through them. The steps that blindly guided them to Asami’s room were full of intent and empty of balance, as they bumped the walls and the door in their way, flopping on the bed having yet to part from each other’s mouths.

Although not the first time they had been like this, this time Korra felt that the reality of her prominent departure made kissing Asami and being with her in bed a whole new experience. This time, she kissed her longer, deeper, tougher and yet the aura they shared was one of reverence. The roughness to which Asami took her shirt as Korra straddled her contradicted by the slow ascent of her eyes on Korra’s torso, and the gentle way she cupped her breasts before engulfing one of them with her mouth, her tongue sweeping around her stiffened nipple, while her thumb kept playing with the other one and Korra’s eyes closed as she let herself be immersed in the feeling.

Asami searched her mouth once more and Korra let her hands trail to the sides of Asami’s chest, bringing her shirt up in the process, they let the fabric part them and Korra felt Asami tugging her as she let her body fall on the bed. Korra’s mouth found the hostess neck and ear lobe as she heard Asami whimper her name and it sounded like a plea, and a promise and a very good chorus to a song Korra had yet to write. Korra trailed wet kisses all over Asami’s collarbone into the swell of her breasts, before letting her tongue find the flesh of her breasts. One of Asami’s hands found her hair, as to keep her there while the other one rested on Korra’s shoulder, her not so blunt nails tattooing half-moon marks on her skin. 

Korra kept kissing down her body, finding her navel, her hipbones, her hands taking off Asami’s boy-shorts slowly, and coming back up kissing her legs and the inside of her thighs, her eyes going up to Asami’s to find them looking back at her, enthralled. Korra knelt on the bed to take off her own pants as the other woman kept looking, lust overflowing her expression. “Come here.” Korra obliged and the sensation of her naked body on Asami’s, as she rested her leg between the hostess’ hips and kissed her lips left Korra’s insides burning with desire. She pressed her thigh down Asami’s center and the wetness she found there brought a moan out of her mouth that found Asami’s own in the place between their bodies. 

Asami wrapped one of her legs up around Korra’s hips as she felt Korra’s hand traveling down her body, the other one supporting the weight of her body above Asami’s, bringing Korra closer to her and, at the same time, inviting the wandering hand towards her center as if Korra needed any more motivation. Asami let out a groan as her hips finally met Korra’s hand, and Korra bit her shoulder to muffle a moan as she felt the warmth of Asami surrounding her fingers. She kept a light touch inside the hostess’ lips, exploring her folds, two fingers circling her clit as the girl under her let out the most beautiful low sounds. But the pit in her core asked for more than light touches and small gasps, so she lowered her fingers, and the sound Asami made when they entered her were closer to what Korra was looking for. 

At first, she found a slow pace, deepening the thrusts and curling her fingers as Asami unraveled beneath her. Asami had her eyes closed, mouth agape as she lost the consciousness of mind to keep kissing Korra, who took the chance to admire her in this state. When she opened her eyes again and found Korra looking, she smirked, undoubtedly because Korra had a dumb lustful expression on her face; and brought her back down to kiss her. As Korra felt the walls around her fingers tightening, she broke the kiss and lowered her body all the way down to Asami’s center. She wanted to taste Asami’s orgasm on her mouth and soon after, as Asami’s body started to shake and her throat held the sounds she was just making for a few seconds before releasing them louder and breathier, Korra’s tongue rolled through her skin, taking as much as she could, bringing her down from her orgasm with light, wet kisses.

Korra kissed Asami’s thigh before resting her head on it. “You’re amazing.” She said, fascinated by the hostess’ demeanor, as she recovered from her orgasm. Asami’s hand caressed Korra’s cheeks and lips, receiving a kiss on her thumb before drawing Korra back up by lightly tugging her jaw. They kissed lazily, Korra’s core tightening at the thought of Asami tasting herself on her mouth. “Do you want some water?” Korra asked, lifting her body.

Asami simply looked at her for a while before smiling fondly and arching one eyebrow. “And you say I’m the amazing one. You just gave me a huge orgasm and now you're concerned about keeping me hydrated.” She raised herself to a sitting position to meet Korra’s neck, who was still straddling her. “I’m good, but if you want some, I advise you to hurry because I don’t know how long I can wait to feel you around me.” She nipped Korra’s neck to make a point.

Korra gasped at the feeling. “Nah, I think I’m good, too.” She felt Asami’s chuckle down her breasts, as her mouth kept nipping lightly around her nipples and the hostess hands folded around her upper thighs and the sides of her ass. Her breath hitched as Asami’s mouth finally found her nipple. “Asami, please.” She urged her hips forward onto Asami’s stomach, to make her wanting clear and felt the vibration of Asami’s groan around her nipple as the hostess felt the wetness of her core on her stomach, bringing her hand between Korra’s thighs. Asami seemed to take pity of her, she didn’t tease, her fingers slipping inside as Korra bucked her hips once more.

At the feeling of Asami’s finger inside her, a moan escaped her lips. She lost control of her hips, meeting Asami’s every stroke with a thrust of her own, the feeling that had been building inside of her, bursting all at once. The world gave a fast twist as Korra found herself lied on her back and Asami hovered above her, her fingers never leaving Korra’s center. The new position gave Asami more room to move her fingers.

She kissed Korra as her strokes fastened, the heel of her hand brushing deliberately against Korra’s clit, the woman still meeting her every thrust. Her strokes were briefly interrupted by long sweeps of her fingers to her clit, before going back deep into her. Each reentering, leaving Korra breathless as her walls tightened around Asami’s ministrations. Soon, Korra released a deep moan as her orgasm reached her and then took a deep breath as she felt another, higher peak coming. Asami kept a slower, gentler pace while kissing Korra’s face and neck, nursing Korra back from the orgasm.

“Fuck.” As Korra opened her eyes again after a few seconds and it was one of those moments where your brain has to actually reacquaint with your surroundings because you’ve been somewhere else for a while and forgot how the real world looked like. “Wow.” She blinked a few times.

“Hi.” Asami had her head rested on her chest, her hands stroking Korra’s arms, a serene smile on her face.

Korra smiled at the sight bringing her hands to Asami’s hair. “Ok, that-.” She took a deep breath, her lungs still fighting to get enough oxygen inside her body. “That was something else.”

“Yeah?” She used her forearms to lift her body from Korra’s. “I’ll get you that water.”

“No, forget about the water, come back here, I want to cuddle you.” She used her legs to bring Asami back to her, at which the woman chuckled but obliged, nesting herself beside Korra, as she went back to playing with Asami’s hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Soooo this was my first time ever writing smut haha soooo yeah, I'm kinda anxious about it.  
> The process of writing it was wild cause I had to like, reread a bunch of smut scene from my favorite stories all over the fandoms that I usually read to search for the feeling and even the vocabulary that I wanted - writing physical scenes is hard, so kudos for those of you who write a lot of smut and fighting scene. Respect! Anyway, I spent the whole day reading and thinking about sex and like not even in a horny way? So that was something.  
> Haha, I hope you like it.  
> Also, R.I.P omelets. I was giggling the whole time I wrote that one, because, that sounds like something Korra'd do, doesn't it? Ignore a burning pan just to finish Asami off. Don't do that at home. Or maybe do? idk


	6. Saturday and Sunday morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so today you get one and a half days in the same chapter. I'm not happy about it, I was kinda digging the one day per chapter thing I had going on, but it had to be done. You'll soon understand why.  
> Also, this chapter might feel a bit like a filler, maybe. I'm sorry about that, I'm not 100% happy about it, either. But hey, bear with me, will you?

The next day, as Korra opened her eyes, Asami was already awake beside her and she realized she had been awakened by the hostess giving her a light kiss on the jaw. Korra could tell it was early, around seven, maybe, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave the bed just yet, Asami had her naked body curled around hers in the coziest of ways. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Asami caressed her upper arm and teethed her shoulder. “We have to get up.”

“Yeah,” Korra whispered. “But maybe we can stay here just a little longer.” She added before kissing her, lazily.

The day was cloudy, but the weather forecast said the skies would clear later. Korra cooked them a simple breakfast and they left the house before eight, with a few layers of clothes, Korra carrying her guitar case and Asami bringing a small backpack with a few essentials for a picnic. They chose to use public transportation since the beach wasn’t that far away from the city and they didn’t have any chores to do after.

Korra was excited about the day, she loved being able to see nature, spend the day outside city centers and bars and restaurants. She was happy that Asami was coming with her, more so that they were going to a place that meant something to the hostess. The best outings were the ones where she got a local to show her the places they loved in their own city and it was even more important because it was Asami.

After the night they shared, all of Korra’s insecurities about letting Asami know her affection went away, seemly for good. She was sure Asami felt the same for her, and she had finally accepted that their best option was to surrender to the feeling and try and make the most of it, even if they wouldn’t have enough time to put a name on it. She was happy that they had had any, that they had met and had shared so much, from the light conversation to deep ones, about their past and expectations for life, from meals, to outings like this one, from smiles to touches to kisses. She was happy they had found each other, and who knows, maybe they’d even meet again in the future. It didn’t matter now, though. Because now they were here, alone in a calming trail, headed to a beach that was probably not so full of people, her guitar on her back, picnic plans and holding hands as Asami told her about something that Korra hadn’t been paying attention because she’s lost in theses thoughts right now. _Shit!_

Asami was looking at her with a suspicious expression. “You weren’t listening to me at all, were you?” She chuckled as Korra shook her head, touching the back of her neck. “Where were you, then?”

“I’m so sorry. Start over and I’ll pay attention this time.”

“I was just telling you that used to I run into snakes when I was a child in this track, and that you should keep your eyes open.”

“Shit, seriously?” She startled before looking over to Asami and noticing her mischievous smile. “Ha, you’re fucking with me. Good one.” She pulled Asami closer by their hands only to tug her shoulder back away.

“You should have seen your face.” She was chuckling, and Korra didn’t actually mind being laughed at if it was like this. “Seriously, though, what were you thinking about?”

“It’s not even a good excuse for drifting off on you like that.” She chuckled, embarrassed. “I was just thinking how happy I am that you decided to come along and, well, that I’m glad we met.” Asami blushed, _blushed!_ and Korra squeezed the hand she was holding before adding. “When you texted me you’d be staying in Oslo during my stay, back on Monday, I remember I thought that the best outcome would be getting a few good recommendations about places to go and maaaaaybe a friend.” Korra laughed lightly. “I’m so glad that I was wrong.”

.

The beach was in fact rather full of families, but it wasn’t a problem for them. They spent the morning sat on the sand, enjoying the weak sun and talking. Korra played some covers on her guitar, mostly love songs, since she was in that kind of mood, and some Hawaiian tunes of course, because she was on the beach. Asami joined her singing the ones she knew, but mostly she just sat there, listening to Korra’s voice, a smile fixed on her face the whole time. After eating some sandwiches, as the afternoon came by, they walked around the peninsula, and Korra was kind of shocked to find out she was on the same peninsula they had gone to get to the Viking Ship museums. _“I can’t believe you’ve traveled a good part of Europe with this sense of direction.”_ The hostess had teased. _“I’m good with maps and public transportation, but I don’t know why, once I’m inside a car, I can’t find myself, it breaks my brain, apparently.”_ Korra had tried to defend herself, to no avail of Asami’s teasing for the rest of the day.

Asami brought her to her mother’s favorite beach in the peninsula and Korra gave her a moment when Asami went near the water, to wet her feet. But when she came back to her side, Korra enveloped her in a tight hug and thanked her for bringing her here.

“Actually, I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.” She punctuated the affirmation with a kiss on Korra’s cheek, which left Korra giggling at how silly the gesture made her feel. “I can’t remember the last time I came here. I always thought that it’d make me sad to be here, so close to the memories of my mother.” She turned her head back to the sea, contemplating. “But this was good. It was good to be here again, revisit this place that was so important for us back then.” She looked back at Korra, with an affectionate smile. “It was nice to show you this place, too. Share all of this with you, I liked it.” At that, she brought her hand to Korra’s face and half kissed, half-smiled on just the side of Korra’s lips. Korra giggled again because what’s it with Asami kissing her in those funny places and making her feel all giddy inside?

“I’m glad I got you to bring me here, then.”

.

It was approaching the time of their departure, Korra would be going straight to The Earth Empire in a few hours, Asami would go home and then come back to the bar with Opal. But they were still enjoying the last of their moments, the sun was a little stronger now. Asami’s head was sharing Korra’s lap with her guitar, and when she started playing the introducing solo of Escapism from Steven Universe, the hostess hummed in approval. They sang together. It was a small song, that you could repeat as long as you wanted, on a loop and Korra did just that. Asami had a beautiful voice and they sounded good together. Korra thought that Asami was doing more than singing as she repeated the chorus’ lyrics over and over.

_“I’d rather be free, free, free. I’d rather be free, free, free from here.”_

As Korra finally brought the song to an end, Asami had the biggest smile on her face. “I love this song. I can’t believe you’re a fan of Steven, too.”

 _I love it, too and I think I’m falling in love with you._ Of course, she didn’t say that, though.

.

Ok, so, that thought... That thought was a glitch. Korra was _not_ falling for Asami, for Christ Sake, she wasn’t. How could she be? How could she be falling in love with a woman she had met five days before? That’s nonsense. Even worst if she’d only noticed one day before her departure. Nah, she’s not falling for Asami, that’s what she decided as they came back to the city. A glitch, that’s what it was.

“Hey, Korra! How was your day at the beach?” Jinora greeted her, excited. “Are you... did you actually get tanned by spending one single day at the beach in September?” Bewilderment was a fit word to describe Jinora’s expression.

“Uhm, did I?” She fussed around her clothes, looking for tan lines. “I don’t know, maybe? But it was awesome, I mean, we didn’t actually bathe, but the sun was out, the sky was beautiful, there were families, and children were playing and birds were flying. And of course, the company was amazing.” _She was not falling for Asami!_ She had her trade-mark lop-sided smile as she described a bit more about their day.

Bolin, who had gotten there in the middle of the conversation, added. “That sounds like a nice enough Saturday. I wish I could have gone with.”

“Yeah, you were so lucky that Asami had taken a few days off to travel with Opal. I bet you’ve been having a fun time with a personal local guide to show you around the city.” And maybe, just maybe Korra saw a mischievous smile on her face as she said that.

Korra couldn’t help to blush. “Yeah, of course, I’m sorry Opal got the flu, but I’m glad I got to meet her, and, well, meet you guys, too. If she weren’t here, I wouldn’t get to meet you. She fixed my guitar, she got me this gig, she showed me around, I mean, she’s-” She coughed, afraid she was getting heart-eyes all over her face. _SHE WAS NOT IN LOVE WITH ASAMI, DAMN IT!_

“And you’re continuing your travelings tomorrow, right?” At that, Korra’s heart squeezed so hard she briefly thought she’s having a heart attack. _What the fuck, Jinora?_ “Yeah, yeah, I am. I’m chasing the northern lights in Tromso.” But the excitement didn’t meet her voice as much as it would have just a few days ago.

Bolin, ever the oblivious, commented. “You’re gonna love _Tromsø_ and you’ll definitely get to see the Northern Lights, it’s a good time to be looking for them. I reckon you planned for it?”

“Yeah, I knew September would be a good moment to see them, that’s why I came now.”

They kept talking as they got everything ready for the opening, Jinora and Bolin had already seen the Northern Light and shared their experiences with Korra, what got her to remember the reasons she wanted to go and get excited about going. She wasn’t in love with Asami and tomorrow she was heading to the capital of the northern lights!

That Saturday was definitely the busiest night in The Earth Empire that Korra had seen up to that point, but she was handling it well enough. Students came and went, ordering the most various types of drinks. People seemed happy after a sunny Saturday and Korra couldn’t help to get affected by the general happiness surrounding her. When Asami and Opal finally got to the bar - a little later than Korra thought they would -, they found the three of them busy with patrons, but still laughing and chatting around the bar.

“Hey.” The only reason Korra didn’t face-palm the huge smile she had on her face off was that Asami had one of her own as she greeted her.

“Hey, yourself.” She wanted to kiss her, but they touched hands, instead. Not that it mattered, since Korra was pretty sure Jinora was onto them, and Opal definitely knew, so the only one that might still not know was probably Bolin and, honestly, Korra suspected he’d find out tonight.

Her suspicions were soon confirmed. “So, this is happening.” Opal didn’t actually ask, pointing to their hands still in touch. Korra chuckled as she saw Asami rolling her eyes, a discreet blush showing up on her cheeks. Their reactions were followed by a low _“I knew it.”_ from Jinora and a high pitched _“What?”_ from Bolin. Korra couldn’t think of an answer and was saved by another patron asking for a refill for their beer and since she didn’t get an answer from Asami either, Opal apparently let it go. There wasn’t much to say, to be honest. They were living in the moment, Korra’d be gone tomorrow and that was it.

The night went on normally, with patrons coming and going. Asami didn’t leave the bar and Korra took every opportunity to go back to the hostess. Sometimes they didn’t even interact, letting Opal, or Jinora fill in the gaps with topics of their own, but they were always near each other and every time Korra had to go away to serve someone, it was as if there was a pull towards the end of the bar where Asami was sat.

.

They were kissing even before the door from Asami’s apartment hit its frame. Today was their fucking last night, the feeling was overwhelming and it translated into their kiss, which had started furious, but soon became slow and full of meaning. “I wish we had more time.” Korra heard the words before noticing she had said them.

At that, Asami paused, blinking a few times as if she too was trying to figure out where the words had come from. She looked at Korra, her hands leaving the back of Korra’s neck to caress her cheeks, in a gesture Korra had come to cherish. “Me too.” A whisper, as they kissed again.

It way past midnight, Korra’s plane would be leaving tomorrow in the mid-afternoon. Asami helped her pack as they waited for the delivery guy to bring the pizza they would be sharing.

They stayed up for a long time after eating; talking, kissing, and having sex, then kissing and talking and having sex again. They didn’t let her departure stain the night with grief. They laughed and shared good memories as if it were that first night they had spent on the couch, Korra’s feet under an ice pack.

Sometime around three in the morning, Korra’s back was flat on Asami’s bed, the hostess legs surrounding her head, as she rode her face, Korra blurted. “Will you go with me?”

“What? Fuck, Korra, don’t stop.” Asami pleaded and Korra complied. She was actually relieved Asami didn’t get her words because she hadn’t meant to say them. Of course, Asami going to Tromso with her would be amazing, but she knew the hostess couldn’t and she didn’t want to be that kind of person, who put their desires before common sense.

It was only after settling down pretty much on top of Korra, nosing her neck and kissing herself out of Korra’s face, that she answered. “I can’t.” It was almost a whimper. “I wish that I could, but I can’t.” She burrowed her face deeper into Korra’s neck.

“I know, I understand. And I’m sorry I asked.” She locked her arms tighter around Asami and kissed her head.

Her last thought before sleep finally found her was if the wet feeling in her neck was a tear rolling down from Asami’s face, but she convinced herself it wasn’t.

.

**SUNDAY -**

The morning was almost gone as they woke up and was certainly gone when they left the bedroom. Everything was pretty much ready to go, her backpack and guitar were even next to the door already, so they decided to stay awhile longer cuddling on Asami’s bed. It seemed Korra’s heart had given up protesting the outcome of her departure sometime last night. She was sad, but she was resigned, Asami seemed pretty much the same, as sometimes Korra would catch her staring, silently, but as soon as she was caught, she’d smile and give Korra a peck, or squeeze her hand.

Asami drove her to the airport and they spent the short ride exchanging light conversation. Asami sighed as she parked the car and for the first time that day, Korra found sadness in the hostess’ expression. She couldn’t have that, though. “I’m so glad Opal got the flu.” She pointed her cheekiness with a lop-sided smile and watched a beautiful smile take over Asami’s expression.

Asami’s smile turned into a light chuckled. “Me, too, but please don’t tell her.”

“I won’t.” They kissed. And then kissed for a while longer.

The rest was a blur in Korra’s memory. Asami probably walked her inside the airport, holding her guitar, as Korra carried her rucksack. They probably exchanged a few last words, maybe a few discreet kisses, a squeeze in their hands, and a shy “take care.” Korra couldn’t remember, and as the flight attendants started the taking off process, she let her heart sink. She was going to see the Northern Lights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guys, at this point, as I was writing Saturday, I just kept asking myself 'what the fuck is happening in Asami's mind?'. Cause yk, I'm not a plotter, I usually just go with it, and I hadn't gone there so I just knew I had to. What I'm trying to say is * breathes in* ARE YOU READY FOR A POV CHANGE?


	7. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited about this one, you guys!  
> You get a couple of short flashbacks in this one, so you can get a feeling of what was going on in Asami's mind until this point in the story. I actually added them after "finishing" it, but I'm glad about the addition

As soon as Asami saw Korra’s plane take off in the viewing room of the airport, she knew she had made the wrong decision. She had made the wrong decision and her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.

Korra was gone and they’d probably never see each other again. It was like it was supposed to be, honestly. She had done it so many times, hosting people in her apartment, helping them in whatever way they needed and she could manage to. Listening to their stories and experiences and thereby soothing the feeling inside her that craved the freedom they spoke about. But none of them had been like Korra. She usually didn’t share so much of _her_ stories with the travelers she met. Usually didn’t introduce them deeply into her life and usually didn’t tag along with them to whatever places they wanted to go. And she _most certainly_ didn’t fall head over heels for the travelers she hosted.

Korra had been like that, almost from that first day, when she knocked on her door with a shy smile and beautiful eyes. Asami had felt something inside her, like an alarm going off, all her senses hyper-aware, as if a release of nor-adrenaline had taken over her body, and after that she couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t stop craving her company, chasing her smiles.

Obviously, she put those feelings aside, because adults just know that _love at first sight is not a thing, c’mon!_ And it wasn’t, Asami was sure of that, but nevertheless, she kept chasing the intoxicating feeling she got every time Korra’s eyes were on her, and well, that probably didn’t help her case, because somewhere between Monday and Thursday she had given up denying whatever it was that pulled her towards Korra and then well, Thursday happened.

Asami wasn’t oblivious, and she was rather aware of the appeal her looks had on people. That, along with the fact that she knew Korra had had an ex-girlfriend and the way Korra seemed to fluster around her sometimes let her feel confident enough to take that discreet but substantial first step of connecting their finger at the bar.

 **_THURSDAY_ ** _-_

_The moment Asami realized she was lost for good was the moment Korra’s voice started singing along with the chords of her song. She knew enough to presume that the song was about the break-up that had triggered Korra’s trip. About the girl that she had lost herself in, about the spark that had ignited the need to leave everything behind and search for more outwardly, in hope to find answers for the questions she didn’t even know how to ask._

_Asami had never been in this situation. She had never lost herself in anything, not even herself. With her mother dying so early in her life and her father being a busy CEO, she had grown up being a pretty independent child and therefore adult. Because of that, she had always felt the responsibility of dealing with every aspect of her life with the utmost care._

_She knew it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but more often than not, she’d find herself choosing the safest alternative rather than the one she wanted. And that was where she began to envy Korra’s lifestyle, and that was also the commonplace in which Asami recognized they had found each other and by which had connected so deeply. Korra didn’t know what she wanted just yet and Asami couldn’t have what she desired._

_That song, which was about the actual situation that led Korra to choose to let go of every expectation other people had for her and go searching for the things she wanted for herself was certainly inspirational and ignited a fire inside her. Asami wanted things and wanted to choose the things that she knew she wanted. For, at least, once in her damn life._

_And at that moment, Korra was right in front of her. At that moment, Korra was the one thing she wanted the most. At that moment, the blue eyes that searched for hers were like a beacon, signaling her to the end of a life-time journey of self-neglect, signaling her to a shore where she’d find, for once, not the things she needed to survive, but the easiness of simply being and the freedom she needed to thrive._

.

**SUNDAY -**

Their first night together had felt special enough, but the next day, Asami had forgotten to pull the breaks on her feelings altogether, which led to pretty much one of the most intense nights of her life. Korra’s absence during her shift at the bar had left Asami’s insides longing for her in a way she had never longed for anyone before. That’s when she admitted to herself that it might actually be love. A premature kind of love, but love nonetheless.

After that night, she had made the choice to surrender to the feeling even though she knew it would hurt so much worse when Sunday finally came, but honestly? What else could she do? She had fallen in love with someone in a span of a few days, for reasons her rational self couldn’t even begin to explain. But she was humble enough to know that there were some things that reason simply couldn’t explain. Such as the gut feeling she got when she had first seen Korra, and the pull she had been feeling since.

And then, Sunday had come, and Korra parted and Asami stayed. Even though Korra had asked her to come with her to _Tromsø_ , even though going with her was something Asami wanted more than anything right now, she stayed.

She had thought she was making the right choice, she had to go to Future’s Industry on Monday, her father’s... _her company_ needed her attention and even more important than that, she had thought that going with Korra, getting to spend a few more days with her, would only postpone and enhance the pain of parting from Korra. She was backpacking, after all, she’d keep traveling until she found something worth her stay. And Asami knew she wasn’t that something. Korra liked her, of course, she could feel, she could sense and she had heard a few times, too, but what Korra had felt for her and what she felt for Korra... it wasn’t the same thing... Right?

It didn’t matter though, cause as she saw that damned plane taking Korra away from her, she knew that she was willing to pay the price. She wanted to take those few extra days of feeling _seen_ , of raw connection that she had felt with Korra, of companionship, of understanding. She wanted more of that. She wanted more of _Korra_. Even if it were only a few more days with her. She would take it. Asami would fucking take it.

.

**_Saturday -_ **

_Asami heard the noise of keys on her door and came to the living room to meet Opal ready to go to the Earth Empire. She had a worried expression on her face, no doubt, because of Asami’s urgent-toned message asking her if they could meet in her apartment instead of going straight to the bar. Asami was kind of freaking out, she needed someone to talk about her feelings for Korra or she feared she’d end up telling Korra herself, an outcome she was set to prevent. “_ I fell in love with you in a span of five days.” _was honestly too forward for her liking. But Opal, Opal would know what to do, or at least how to put some sense back into her head._

_“I think I’m in love with Korra.” She greeted._

_“Asami, what the fuck?” Was Opal astonished answer even before she had the chance to rid herself of her purse on the couch. “You’ve known her for like two, and a half days.” Opal reached for her hands guiding a very distressed Asami to her couch._

_“Five, five, and a half days.” She defended herself weakly._

_“Are you even, like...-” She made a random gesture with her hands. “Have you been... together like that?”_

_Asami nodded. “Since Thursday. But, honestly, even before. I-” She was having trouble putting her thoughts into words, simply because she couldn’t believe her thoughts either. “I don’t know, Opal, maybe it was since the moment I first saw her. Or a little after that. I don’t understand it either. There’s just-” She rubbed her face, frustrated. “There’s just something about her.”_

_Opal nodded, she seemed not to need more than that. Opal had always been kind of a romantic, and well, she claimed she had known Bolin was_ The One™ _the moment she saw him behind the bar when he was still just a bartender there. “Fuck, girl, that-” “She sighed. “That sucks! She’s leaving tomorrow.” She paused, thoughtful. “Look, ‘Sami, do you want to tell her? Do you think she feels the same for you?”_

 _“No, no, I don’t. It’s too soon, and what would it change? She’s a backpacker, Opal... I’m not about to ask her to stay here with me, just because-, just because I really, really want her too.” She finished lower, feeling sad, really sad, all of a sudden. “I think she likes me. Maybe even a lot, it’s nice, what we have. Maybe she feels it, too. But it can’t be enough to-” She huffed, not being able to make sense of her words. This was_ such _a complicated situation._

 _“So, and I’m sorry I can’t be more of a help, but all that’s left is for you to enjoy these few hours you have together before she leaves. It’s probably gonna hurt a lot, but if that’s really how you feel, that really is_ love,” _At that goddamn word, Asami cringed and moaned, hiding her face with her hands. “If it really is love,” Opal repeated, louder. “it has to be worth it, right?” She touched Asami’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly to bring Asami’s eyes out from behind her hands. “And I’ll be here after that. To help you get over her if that’s how it goes.”_

_Opal smiled sympathetically and Asami took a deep breath before answering her friend. “Yeah, yes, you’re right. I knew that already, I just-, I just needed someone to tell me that I wasn’t going crazy.” She chuckled. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me.”_

_“You came to the right person, of course. You know I believe in love at first sight.”_

_._

**SUNDAY -**

“Opal, I need the keys to gramma Toph’s cottage in _Sommarøy_ .” Asami had to pretty fucking much move her phone away from her ear at the sudden squeal she heard as an answer. _Sommarøy_ was a tiny peninsula just outside of _Tromsø_. A popular Northern Lights sighting point and Toph had let it to her grandchildren when she’d passed a few years ago. Asami had been there multiple times when they were growing up.

“You’re going, then? Please, tell me you’re not fucking with me. For the love of the Holy Mother of Jesus! Are you home? I’ll bring it to you right fucking now.” Opal was clearly moving around as she started sounding breathless through the phone. “I’m leaving already. See you soon.”

“No, Opal! Wait.” She said to her phone. She wasn’t home yet, but eh, whatever, Opal had the keys. She texted her saying she would be getting there soon.

Packing, buying plane tickets, letting Martin know she wouldn’t be meeting him on Monday, or Tuesday, probably not Wednesday either... He wouldn’t be happy. Fuck it. He worked for her. Then what else did she have to do before going? _Was that it? Was it that simple? Oh, should she text Korra?_

“You should totally surprise her,” Opal suggested, once Asami verbalized her doubts. “Maybe-, maybe you should wait till you get there and then send her your location when you get to the airport.” She was having way too much fun with this situation. She was helping Asami pack, her tickets were already bought - two and a half hours from now -, and she had let Martin know she’d be away for a few more days before meeting him. He was actually quite ok when she had told him. She really hoped it was a ‘calm before the storm’ kind of situation.

Opal drove her to the airport, her farewell, a very excited “Bring her home, babe!”. Asami rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to _Tromsø_ to bring Korra back to Oslo with her, but whatever. Let Opal dream. She’d most certainly not be dreaming alone.

.

She got to _Tromsø_ Airport, Langnes, at 10 pm, about five hours after Korra’s arrival. She reckoned Korra was already in her host’s place by now. She rented a car, loaded her own backpack at the back seat, and only then sent her location to Korra’s Whatsapp, with a message attached to it.

> _“Do you think your new host will be mad if your old one steals you from him?”_

She waited less than a minute for an answer.

> “ _Are you fucking“_

_“Kidding me?”_ Korra continued as Asami answered her call. She sounded incredulously excited and the sound of her voice made Asami’s heart pretty much skip a few beats. Asami’s only answer was a chuckle. _“Asami! For real, are you here right now? You’re not fucking with me, are you?”_

“Yes, I’m here, and no, I’m not fucking with you.” _Uhn, yet? Unfortunately?_ _Focus!_ Although she could understand Korra’s reaction, she was certain that now she _had_ made the right choice, but she couldn’t actually believe she’d followed the woman across the country just to be a few more days together. “I’ve rented a car, and Opal lent me the keys for her family’s cottage in _Sommarøy_ , a peninsula one hour from _Tromsø_. We can stay there and it’s a good place to see the Northern Lights, too.”

 _“Asami! Goddamnit! Just-”_ She chuckled, but sounded nervous. _“Just get here already. I’m sending you the address and I’ll let Josh know I’ll not be staying here anymore. Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here.”_

Josh’s house was only a twenty minutes drive from the airport. Asami made it in fifteen. When she got there, Korra was waiting for her outside, her backpack and guitar leaned on the wall of the building. She was bouncing on her feet as soon as she noticed Asami parking.

Korra wrapped her in a tight hug, folding her arms over Asami’s shoulders as hers went for Korra’s hips. “I’m so happy you changed your mind.” And Asami believed her, but still asked herself if Korra felt the same thing that she was feeling at the moment - that having Korra around her arms was too much like being in the right place once again. Korra retreated, putting her arms on her neck. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Her hands squeezed the back of Asami’s neck and started leaning in before hesitating. “Can- Can I kiss you?” Her eyes traveled to Asami’s lips as her expression turned into a rather apprehensive one.

Asami’s chuckle was more like a huff because _seriously?_ before leaning in to kiss Korra. She lost herself in the kiss as if there hadn’t been only a few hours since they had said goodbye back in Oslo. “I can’t believe I’m here, either.” She chuckled and Korra smiled.

“Well, I’m super glad you are.” The apprehension was gone from her face now that the nature of their relationship was confirmed to be the same. “And you’re taking me to a very secluded and I suppose, very fancy cottage in the middle of nowhere with a population of less than five thousand people?” Her tone was playful, but Asami could hear a taste of bewilderment behind her words.

She chuckled because she was still a little shocked by everything that was happening right now. “I guess I am, yes.”

“Well, take me, then. I’m all yours.” Asami probably imagined the undertone of seriousness she heard at that.

.

Korra, ever the prepared, had already bought a few provisions, which was perfect because the cottage hadn’t been used since the twins had left for North America, eighteen months ago. Nevertheless, they stopped briefly to buy something to eat, since Asami had forgotten that particular essential need, what with everything that had happened that day. They got to the cottage around midnight, it was kind of dusty but rather clean. Maybe the Beifongs had someone come here periodically to clean it?

It was late to find a lot of places opened, so they had bought burgers and fries and Asami was practically drowning in them. She hadn’t noticed how hungry she was and Korra was currently teasing her for eating too fast.

“These are so good though, you sure you don’t want any?” Korra was walking around, exploring the cottage.

Despite the name, it wasn’t an old construction, it just resembled one. It was small, - it had two bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room shared the same space - along with a fireplace - and a small bathroom.

“Nah, I’m good, I’ve eaten already.” She sat on the old dusty couch. “Who did you say used to live here again?”

“Opal’s grandmother, Toph. She passed a few years ago and left this place to Opal and her brothers.” Asami stuffed a few fries in her mouth before continuing. “We used to come here a lot when we’re younger, in the summer, obviously. Not that it made much difference, the water was always freezing.”

“Well, we _are_ above the Arctic Circle.” She leaned her face to the side, in a matter-of-fact kind of way, Asami chuckled at her cuteness. “So,” She stretched the word. “Where are we going tomorrow?” She stood, coming back to the table, beside Asami.

“Ok, so, here’s what I’ve thought during my flight: we should sleep in tomorrow, like, really sleep in, because we might be spending the whole night outside waiting for the lights. We can normally see the lights here, so maybe we won’t need to drive, but if we do, and it all depends on the weather, I’ll drive us near the border of Finland. Some two to three hours from here. But we’ll only need to move if the forecast tells us that it’ll be clouded.”

Korra looked impressed and Asami smirked. “I didn’t know you’re such an Aurora Chaser, Asami!” Korra stole the fry she was bringing to her mouth despite the fact that she was close enough to get one from the plate.

Asami mock-glared at her. “How were you even planning to chase the lights if you can’t drive, by the way?”

She shrugged. “I was thinking of paying for one of those very expensive tour guides that take you to the exact place at the exact time and it takes like ten minutes and it’s finished.”

“Oh my god, that’s it. That’s the reason I came all the way to _Tromsø_. To give you a proper Northern Lights experience.” She finished eating and started putting away the dishes.

“And this proper experience consists of us staying awake the whole night today, so we can sleep tomorrow during the day?” She wiggled her fucking eyebrows, flirting Korra was such a brat.

Asami rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help herself. “You think you can come up with something to keep us entertained for the night?”

She stood up once again, coming closer to Asami, her voice was almost a whisper as she brought her mouth close to Asami’s ear. “I might, but only if you stop looking for excuses and admit that you came all the way to Tromso because you like me a lot.”

She shuddered at the feeling of Korra’s breath in her skin, her body so close to her. That challenge was easy to accomplish, it was almost a lie. “I came all the way to _Tromsø_ because I like you a lot.” She punctuated the statement with a light kiss just behind Korra’s ear and bit her lobe right after. She marveled at the feeling of the backpacker shivering at the touch.

She felt Korra retreating to look at her, with a lop-sided smile stamped on her face. “Then, let me show you how much I appreciate you for that.” At that, Asami yelped as she felt herself being lifted by the waist, her legs promptly wrapping around Korra’s hips, and hands holding Korra’s strong arms before folding around her neck.

She let out a loud laugh as Korra started guiding them to the bedroom and added, feeling her heart light as a feather. “Yes, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, we're up the Arctic Circle now, huh? Are you feeling cold, already?  
> eheh I hope you like this one, it's another one of my favorites.  
> Also, I'm loving the intersections we're having on the comments, thanks so much for being so nice, guys


	8. Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up, guys! today's is a short chapter, but hey, you get a bit more of traveling lore and a conversation you can maybe use it for your headcanons for when the story ends ;)

They spent most of the next day sleeping but woke before the sunset to walk around the island. Asami loved the energy of the place and Korra seemed to understand why, the calm nature and locals, the beautiful sights of such an inhospitable place, the unforgiving sea, it all brought her a sense of... solitude, but not quite that, because she also felt that she was part of everything surrounding her.

Asami noticed, rather anxiously, that she was once again showing Korra a piece of herself, by bringing her here. It was a good feeling, but she couldn’t help the fear that it’d only make everything harder later. They bought fish from a local fisherman and Korra cooked a simple dinner while Asami packed a few things they’d be bringing outside to wait for the lights.

They brought along two camping chairs that Asami had found on Toph’s cottage and stuffed themselves with heavy coats, a small but efficient fire burning near their feet. The northern lights forecast website had alerted to good chances of seeing them this night, but the weather had changed abruptly and they could see a few clouds blocking their view of the sky. Nevertheless, it was too late to try their luck in another location, so they had decided to stay where they were and try their luck. The weather near the coast was always unpredictable and it could still change back.

Korra had brought her guitar, but it was too cold to play for too long so they started playing games to pass the time. One of the games was a rather simple back and forth of saying names of cities with each letter of the alphabet. When one of them couldn’t think of a city with one letter they would move to the next one. It was a silly game, but it was entertaining. When they had completed the whole alphabet, Korra used her phone to search for a 21-Questions list of questions and the night went by like that.

"What's the TLDR; version of your life?" Korra said, looking at her cellphone.

“Shit, this one is hard.” She took a few moments to think. How could she resume her whole life in a few sentences? “Maybe, ugh, I don’t know.” She bit her lips, thoughtfully. “Maybe, privileged orphan struggles to break free from her dead parents’ expectation for her life? And fails miserably?”

“Damn, ‘Sami, somber, much?” She said, but her tone was playful. “Plus, you’re too hard on yourself. You’re young, you still have time to not fail at that and, look, you took a step towards it coming here, already. Also, I think your TLDR fails to communicate all the things you’ve achieved. No, actually, scratch that, fuck that shit. It fails to communicate how fucking awesome you are. Like, you’re super smart and you’re sweet and funny, and overall, one of the best people I’ve met for like, a long time.” Korra smiled at her, she seemed sincere, and Asami tried hard to believe her words. “You should put something like that on your TLDR.”

“Like, a privileged orphan is one of the best people Korra has met for a long time?” She teased her blush away.

“Yeah, something like that.” Korra laughed and her blue eyes, painted with the reds and yellows from the fire, lingered on her for a while.

“Ok, my turn then, gimme the phone.” Korra handed her the phone. “Ok, the next one is: What do most people think about you that is absolutely not true?”

Korra leaned forward, humming. “The first thing that comes to my mind is that people usually think that I know what I’m doing, like overall, with my life. That I’m a self-assured person, you know? But, honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing with my life. Hence this trip and everything about it.” Asami could tell she wasn’t finished, so she waited. “But one of the things that actually bothers me the most is that people usually think that I’m like, strong, in an emotional sense, like, that I’m rough, insensitive, even. And fuck, that’s like, so far from the truth. And I think that there was a time in my life that I actively tried to make that impression on people, but then I don’t know, I just... changed?” She was watching the fire. “I accepted that I was mushy inside.” She chuckled. “And it just... bothers me that people, back home mostly, are taking so long to catch up about it.”

Asami was astonished, because the notion of people not knowing that Korra, caring, sweet Korra, someone with the power to make even simple tasks the most endearing acts of affection, someone who wrote and played and sang songs about love and made friends with children was anything but mushy inside was such an absurd concept, she couldn’t help.

Before she could verbalize her thoughts, however, Korra was reading the next question in the list. “Oh, here’s a good one for you. If you could go anywhere in the world, like, with everything paid for, and well, I’m gonna add this part, without any consequences to your career, or let’s say, hypothetical inherited companies one could have.” Asami chuckled as Korra wiggled her eyebrows. “Where would you like to go?” Yet again, before Asami could answer her, Korra reached for her hand in a rather serious manner for such a simple question and searched for her eyes as she repeated. “Where would you like to go, Asami?”

 _Well, that almost sounded like an invitation._ Asami felt her heart skipping a beat at this thought. She almost lost herself in a world where she could go away with Korra, traveling around the world, so much so that the first answer that came into her mind was a very sappy _‘I’d follow you wherever you go.”,_ what prevented her from doing so, besides well, the obvious reason, was the fact that she already had an answer for this question, and one that was infinitely less embarrassing. “I’ve always wanted to go to South America. Like, there are a few countries that I’d love to go there, but actually, any country in South America would do for me. Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, any of them, though Peru would be the one I’d choose if I only had the chance to visit one of them.”

Korra had a huge smile on her face and Asami suspected that if she were standing she’d be bouncing. “Oh, South America is the dream! I’d love to go there someday, too. Though, if I only had one choice, I’d probably choose Brazil, cause, you know, the place is huge and I loved Portugal so much that I’m pretty sure I’d love there, too.”

“Yeah, I can totally see why Brazil would be your choice. D’you even know how to speak Portuguese, though?”

“Oh, God, no. Fucking thing is almost harder than Spanish. I say fuck’em gendered languages. What’s up with that? Objects shouldn’t have gender, they’re fucking objects.”

Asami laughed at Korra’s wrath against gendered languages. “You know Norwegian is a gendered language, right?”

“Fuck me! Really?.” She had a genuinely exasperated expression. “Seriously, though, I’ve learned a few things like ‘Bom dia, obrigado, me desculpa’” She made the quotation marks with her hands and Asami found it was too cute watching Korra mouth and tongue dance around the words trying to mimic the odd phonemes. “but I know a good chunk of Spanish from school so, I think that maybe I’d be able to handle myself in Brazil. I mean, if they go really, _really_ slowly.” She stretched the word.

“Yeah, I know a bit of Spanish too, that’s one of the reasons I’d like to go to Peru the most.”

“And what would you do about money? Would you save it for the trip or make it as you go?” Korra asked.

“I’d probably save money beforehand, since, you know, I don’t know how to do anything that might get me money as I go.” She paused, thinking about an old dream of hers. “Although I’m interested in photography, it’s like, a hobby.” She paused, scrunching her face. “Granted, one that I’ve been away for a while now, with everything that has been happening in my life. But, I’m actually researching for a new camera, one of those good ones, you know. I’ve always thought about being one of those journalists that travel the world taking pictures of the most amazing places and the rarest animals.” She chuckled, feeling silly. It was an old dream of her, one that she had taken to bring her closer to her mother. Asami couldn’t draw like her, but capturing moments, memories with a camera was close enough for her.

“Really? You like photography? You know that’s totally a skill you can use while traveling, right? I met this guy once, from Argentina, he was traveling around Europe and taking pictures of the places he’d seen. He would then print them on post-card paper and sell them to tourists on the subway or on restaurants.” She was putting more wood in the fire as she spoke. “Of course, he did other things, like fixing cars and working in restaurants, things like that. But his pictures were what brought him pride, the other things were simply to eat and sleep and well, exist.”

They kept going like this until 4 am. When the 21-Questions ended, they went back to the names of cities game, completing another round on the alphabet before surrendering to the fact that they wouldn’t be seeing the lights that night. Korra didn’t seem too disappointed, though. She looked mostly sleepy, her eye-lids were low as they walked back to the cottage. Tomorrow, Asami’d drive them to the border of Finland, where their chances of seeing the lights were better when the weather was like this.

.

Asami had trouble sleeping that night. She couldn’t shake the anxious feeling of thinking about the near future. It was like she was living in make-believe, pretending everything was fine, but the prospect of saying goodbye to Korra again so soon was starting to overcast their time together in the present. She and Korra were living in the moment, reveling in each other's presence every single moment of the day now, but she couldn’t help feeling like she was lying to herself, and most importantly, lying to Korra. It bothered her because, since that first day, they had connected in a way that was unknown for Asami, Korra saw her, really saw her, and now, she felt distant from the woman for the first time since that day.

She had the impression that Korra thought that Asami coming here was an impulsive act she had taken simply to satiate her need for freedom and adventure. It bothered her that the woman didn’t know this was actually for another reason, altogether. She felt Korra was giving her unmerited credit and worse than that, it hurt not letting Korra see this for what it was, not letting Korra know that she wanted her in her life, for more than a few additional days.

The seagulls were squawking when sleep finally found her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korra's opinion on gendered languages is my own haha and I speak one of those so yeah, I hope no one's offended.  
> The one game of saying city names was inspired by a real experience. I've been to sommaroy when I was chasing the lights myself, but I was with a guy friend instead of a romantic interest, which was a bummer. We didn't play 21 questions, but we completed two rounds of city name game. Chasing the lights can get kinda boring.  
> Asami is hurting, you guys, it makes me sad.  
> But hey, one more to go, I hope you're as excited as I am.


	9. Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earlier today cause I'm an anxious motherfucker ha  
> Also, is there something wrong with the chapter count or are we getting an epilogue? ;P  
> A song is mentioned in this chapter too, here's the link if you're curious and you'd like to listen to it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsu5ZZwzFyk

The next morning, Asami woke up earlier than she expected, her phone told her it was the end of the morning. She felt cozy wrapped by Korra’s arms from behind, one of Korra’s leg over her hips. Asami smiled, silently. Korra was a clingy sleeper, she almost always ended up on Asami’s side of the bed, more or less. It wasn’t a problem, though, since they always slept very close to each other in the first place.

That morning, however, Asami felt the return of last night’s mood as soon as she turned her neck toward Korra. It bothered her that she was letting herself feel sad when she already had so little time to enjoy Korra’s company. She thought maybe some distance would be good for her, let her think, munch her sorrow and spit it out. She disentangled her body from Korra’s, as the woman mumbled in her sleep and wintered up to go for a walk.

The beach was only a few minutes from the cottage and the fresh air of the late morning helped her gather her thoughts. There wasn’t much she could do in this situation. She had chosen to come and she was happy she had. She thought that she’d be able to keep the ‘live in the moment’ mindset that she had managed to pull off back in Oslo, but she wasn’t. She couldn’t stop asking herself, should she tell Korra? Should she tell her that she was in love with her and she wanted more. Should she ask her to stay? Would Korra even consider staying? If her feelings were the same, that is. Were they?

She was usually a very forward person when it came to speaking her mind, but this time, the possibility of rejection was paralyzing her somehow. She could see why. The magnitude of what she would be asking Korra if she told her the truth, was something Asami couldn’t ignore. How could she ask Korra to stay if the nature of her lifestyle was one of the first things that brought her attention to the woman in the first place? Not that it was the only thing, she was surely past that. But that first sparkle of interest had been caused by the way Korra lived her life and the glow in her eyes as she told Asami about it. And now, it felt like an unfair route of action. If this feeling she was nurturing for the backpacker was really what she claimed it to be, asking her to stay, to change, just to be with her, would be too selfish of an action to take.

The unfairness of her situation dawned on her so suddenly she couldn’t help the tears filling her eyes. She hated that she was crying about it. She shouldn’t be crying right now, she should be back at the cottage, next to Korra, battling her urge to wake her up just to see the blue of her eyes, losing said battle shamelessly, kissing away the sleep from Korra’s face. Chasing the smile that meant that one of her own wasn’t far behind.

She rubbed her face to clean it from the tears and took a deep breath, it was what it was, her hands were tied, but she had wiggle room to adapt, she was still happy she had come, Korra still made her feel like a teenager in love, they still had the Northern Light to catch. She just had to push this feeling aside and be grateful for the remainder of the moments she’d have with Korra, in this beautiful, beautiful place above the Arctic Circle.

The sun was shy today, but it was still shining, the sea was calm and there wasn’t a lot of people at the beach, the other islands of the peninsula looked so close that Asami was sure she could swim to them if she was feeling like it and if the water wasn’t freezing cold. After a while, she was brought out from her contemplation by the sound of steps against the sand.

She turned and found Korra carrying two insulated mugs. “Would you like some company? I brought you some very hot, very fresh coffee.” She was dressed more lightly than the weather deemed necessary, probably using the winter base layer Asami had seen around her backpack in their time together.

She smiled at Korra’s thoughtful gesture, reaching for the mug. “Gimme.” She hadn’t had her daily dose of coffee yet, and the mere thought of it made her mouth water.

Korra chuckled at her eagerness. “You woke up early, today, huh? What’s up with that? The bed got cold after you left.” She pouted, playfully.

“I had trouble sleeping yesterday, and sometimes, when this happens, I tend to wake earlier, too.” She explained. “D’you sleep well?”

Korra nodded and sipped from the mug, probably filled with some type of tea. “More than. It’s still early, considering the hour we slept last night, but I’m feeling well-rested.” She reached for Asami’s hand. “You?”

Asami loved the small gestures of affection Korra surrounded her with every time they were close to each other. Like the mug of coffee or the fact that Korra was always touching her some way or another when her hands were free. She felt like Korra always thought of her in every step she took, like when she thought of something she wanted, or needed to do, she always remembered to ask if Asami wanted or needed the same thing, so they could do it together or divide and conquer everything faster. It was a type of companionship that went beyond obligation and most importantly, rested far away from dependency. It was exactly what Asami wanted in a relationship and _oh, shit, here she goes again._ She put a stop in that line of thought to answer Korra, instead. “I’m feeling rested too, even though I didn’t sleep much. I was actually thinking about asking you if you wanted to drive to _Tromsø_ today before we head to the border, so you can see some of the city.”

“Yeah, that would be nice, let’s do that.”

.

They left the island around mid-afternoon. Later than they had intended to, but they managed to visit Polaris, the world’s most northerly aquarium. They arrived too late for the feeding of the bearded seals but they still spent most of their visit watching the animals swim and play and lazy around.

After that, they headed to a park and enjoyed the sunset before going to a bar to eat something. Korra drank a few local beers, but Asami kept away from anything alcoholic since she’d be driving that night.

The road that guided them to the Norway-Finland border was called The Northern Lights Road. Korra was responsible for the music while Asami drove carefully on the curvy road. Asami could tell she was excited as she sang along with most of the songs. Asami knew some of them, but others she was hearing for the first time.

They got to the sighting point, a simple parking lot of sorts, adjacent to the road, big enough to fit a handful of cars and set their small camp, the two chairs, no fire tonight. Asami was certain they would be able to see the lights this time, the sky was clear and she had noticed a few of the vans from the tour guides that led tourists to the lights passing by them on the road. It was always a good sign, they really knew what they were doing, those tour guides.

Sometime after they had gotten to the sighting point, they were pretty much risking losing the lights by _not looking_ to the sky at all when a van parked near them. A total of fifteen tourists got out of the van, most with cameras hanging from their necks as one of the tour guides explained in perfect English and loud enough for them to listen that there would soon be a small display, to which Korra straightened her back and squeezed Asami’s hand excited, before standing up to her feet.

Less than ten minutes later, there they were, a light curtain of opaque green dancing in the sky. Asami looked to the sky enough to notice it was indeed a small one, she knew there would be a stronger solar storm later that night. During the rest of the rare phenomenon, she watched Korra’s reaction, instead. She had a beautiful smile on her face and her eyes were filled with tears. She seemed to feel Asami’s eyes on her, because she turned her head just enough to confirm her suspicion, before turning her eyes to the sky with an even bigger smile. “You’re supposed to be watching the lights.” She chuckled, blinking her eyes to cleanse them from the tears.

She shrugged, even though Korra’d miss the gesture. “There’s gonna be a bigger one later tonight, I’ll look, then. It’s nice to see the reaction of someone who never saw them, too.” Nevertheless, she walked to Korra’s back to fold her arms around her hips and rest her face above Korra’s shoulder before looking up to the sky. “So, how do you like it?” She asked as the lights started fading.

Korra turned her head to kiss her on her cheeks before moving from Asami’s arms to bounce around on her feet. “They are absolutely fucking amazing!” She said as the tourists start getting back to the van, undoubtedly to head to another one of the sighting points that skirted the road. “I can’t believe I saw them. I can’t believe it took me so much to see them.” She hugged Asami. “Thank you for coming with me, thank you for driving me, being my guide. Fuck, Jesus, I’m so happy.” The last word was squealed instead of spoken and Asami laughed, unable to help getting affected by the happiness Korra was feeling. “And you say there’ll be a stronger one later?”

“Yeah, maybe the next one will have multiple colors. I’ve seen them in green, pink and white, but never in purple and blue. Who knows, maybe tonight it’s gonna be the one.” They were sitting again, closer this time and Korra took her guitar from its case.

Korra played for a while as Asami listened to a string of mostly melodic songs, some of which Asami recognized and sang along. Korra started playing a song she had said was called Would That I, a song about a willow tree and fire that Asami had never heard before, but instantly loved the melody and the lyrics. They consisted mostly of metaphors so beautiful, but really complex and, as Asami thought that she would probably have to diner with the songwriter to understand what they were trying to communicate, the next display start.

> _“With the roar of the fire, my heart rose to its feet_
> 
> _Like the ashes of ash, I saw rise in the heat_
> 
> _Settled soft and as pure as snow_
> 
> _I fell in love with the fire long ago.”_

Korra kept singing and playing as they watched the lights dancing green and pink, like ghostly curtains in the sky.

> _“So in awe, there I stood as you licked off the grain_
> 
> _Though I’ve handled the wood, I still worship the flame_
> 
> _As long as amber of ember glows_
> 
> _All the “would” that I’d loved is long ago.”_

The song was beautiful and the lights were incredible this time. The combination of both made for a magical moment and Asami felt her eyes watering as the lights turned white and pinkish.

“Asami.” Her voice was but a whisper as Asami turned her head down at Korra, to notice the woman was, and probably had been for a while, looking at her instead of watching the lights.

“You’re supposed to be watching the lights, Korra.” She repeated Korra’s words, mockingly, but she felt her heart fastening in response to the look in Korra’s eyes.

She watched Korra look back up and take a deep breath and noticed she was tense. “I-,” She paused, swallowing. “I think I’m in love with you.” She kept her eyes on the sky, and silently watched the rest of the display.

Asami let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding and blinked several times. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around Korra’s words. Words that she herself had been fighting against letting free this morning. Words that she hadn’t even allowed herself to dream would come out from the other woman’s mouth instead of hers. She opened her mouth briefly before closing it again. Korra was now watching her face in search of an answer. She tried again. “Are you sure?” Her tone was all wrong, doubtful and insecure, but she couldn’t help the need to confirm she hadn’t heard wrong.

Bright blue eyes turned away from hers, as its owner started talking hurriedly. “I know there’s not much you can do about it, and it’s certainly not your fault. I’ve been trying to keep it to myself, I didn’t want to make it weird. And you should know I’m not expecting you to do anything about it. I just-,” She was rubbing her face, her voice was wavering, her demeanor tense and nothing, _nothing,_ like Asami was feeling right now. “I just wanted you to know, so you’d know.” She paused, took a deep breath all while Asami was still fighting to recompose herself, and actually participate in this conversation that was deviating so much from her point of view. “I fell for you.” Her voice wavered. “I have been falling for you since the first moment I saw you.” Korra was looking at her now, wide eyes and a pained expression on her face.

That was what it took to trigger Asami back into action, she moved closer to Korra, resting her hands on the other woman’s neck. “Korra.” Korra searched her eyes, her own even wider, if possible. “Korra.” She whispered, again. Her voice was back but the words were still failing her. She kissed Korra instead, trying her best to communicate her feelings through her actions, knowing it wouldn’t be enough, not this time, but choosing to try anyway. If nothing, the feeling of Korra’s mouth on her own centered her. She smiled, chuckled and laughed, then finally. “I’m in love with you, too.”

Korra’s eyes snapped open when she heard the words. “You are?” They shared laughter once again as Asami felt her eyes being filled with tears, but they were happy tears and they weren’t alone this time, as Korra had a few of her own in her eyes. “You’re in love with me, too?” Asami nodded and watched Korra lick her lips, stunned. “I was gonna go back after I had seen the lights. I was gonna go back to Oslo, to tell you the truth. To let you know, I just- I needed to let you know.” She admitted, breathlessly.

Her heart squeezed at Korra’s admission, because, maybe... _Maybe_. “You were? But what about Eastern Europe?” She felt the smile that was now carved on her face trying and failing to get wider.

“It’s been there for more than I don’t even know how many years, right? It’d have to wait.” She shrugged and Asami chuckled.

She bit her lower lip, gathering her courage to ask the question she had been wanting to ask for a while, she braced herself for the answer either way, but it was too late now to keep it in. “Will you come back with me even if I already know? Just for a while longer, just so we can figure this out enough so that the next time you leave, it doesn’t mean we won’t see each other ever again.”

Korra kissed her again. “Yes, fucking Christ, yes.” She kept kissing Asami as she yelled to the night. “Yes, yes, I will.”

They kissed for a while longer, tasting tears of joy on each other’s lips, unknowing that above their heads the lights were shining green and white incredibly strong yet again, and that for a few seconds before fading for good, they shone pink and blue and purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys, that's the official ending of the story  
> Buuuut, I noticed that I had too many headcanons for their relationship and decided to share them with you in another chapter that I'll be releasing tomorrow cause it's written already.
> 
> I really hope you liked the ending.  
> And yeah, the northern lights shone like a bisex flag in that last scene cause I'm the almighty writer and it's not impossible, I checked. ha 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and feelings in the comments. This has been such a wonderful experience, my first long (but short) fic ever.


	10. Three Months Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever heard the one about the lesbians and the U-haul?

Korra stayed way longer than both of them had planned that night under the Northern Lights. Not that they had established a duration for Korra’s stay. They had kept living in the moment, as it was, since both of them knew that Korra would have to go some time, continue her trip around Europe, finally see the eastern part of the continent. But they allowed themselves to grow closer together, to get to know each other better, and build a stronger connection, based on the more concrete aspects that only time and coexistence could ensure.

The time to go, however, had never come, simply because neither of them wanted it to come. Korra kept working weekends on the Earth Empire, some times as a bartender, some times playing live. On weekdays, she kept busking in the streets or other restaurants. After some time of this routine, she was surprised to find out that she could get a rather predictable income out of it.

She kept living in Asami’s apartment, although she never used the spare room. At some point in her stay, she asked Asami if maybe she should look for a place to stay, rent a room near the university, where prices would be lower, or a shared room in a hostel. Asami had emphatically denied her proposal.  _ “I live alone and I could use the company, don’t be silly.”  _ But Korra was feeling uncomfortable about staying so long without paying rent. She didn’t want to leave, but she wasn’t comfortable staying like that. That had lead them to their first fight ever. Korra had suggested that she could start paying Asami for the spare room she didn’t even use, as if they were roommates, together with the bills they were already splitting. Asami was annoyed because she didn’t need the money, the apartment was already hers and she knew Korra could use the money she was saving by not paying rent for the rest of her trip. She had compromised, though, preferring to let Korra pay her then move out for her own place. She started, however, secretly saving the money for a time in the future when she didn’t have so many responsibilities in Oslo.

It was all rather unorthodox, their relationship. Living together so early in a relationship wasn’t something either of them had ever seen themselves doing. But that’s how it had started and it felt good, it felt right. So after the rent problem was settled, they were able to navigate the small quirks of their living together easily.

For instance, Korra had found out that Asami ate rather unhealthy, most of the time. She didn’t cook, at all, which Korra suspected but was shocked to confirm and if it were for her, they’d eat out almost every meal of the day - luckily, it wasn’t, Korra loved cooking, and Asami wasn’t that much of a picky eater, she simply didn’t like to cook. Asami, on the other hand, had noticed that Korra would never put away her shoes after getting home. She would leave them near the door, and would only give them attention again when it was time to leave the house again when she would then put them on again and leave.

But they always worked through these little differences. Either talk them out or fight them out, before talking them out. Both knew that what they had was still too uncertain to let the common mistakes that other people made reign  _ their _ relationship. What would happen if they had a big fight? Korra was in Oslo, but she didn’t live there. Would she leave? Would she continue her trip or go back to Canada and they would never see each other again?

So they talked and discussed and argued every little nuance in their time together. They valued what they had and one another too much to let it slip away from them. As much as they talked about their relationship, however, the future was a topic yet to be covered in their conversations. Neither one of them wanted to bring it up, fearing that the outcome would be one they didn’t want.

But they thought about it a lot. In their alone time, walking down a street, doing the dishes, answering emails, or before sleep found them. Asami would get antsy and immediately start craving Korra’s presence when she thought about it. She would text Korra to share a silly thought or event in her day or call her simply to hear her voice or hold her tighter when they were already together. Korra, herself, would get overwhelmed by all the thoughts and search for relief in exercising. She would go for a run and only stop when she found herself too tired to think at all. In those days, however, much like Asami, when they met again, Korra would cling to her girlfriend and would only let her go when she complained that she couldn’t breathe.

This avoidance pattern was finally brought to an end by Korra, as she got home after work one day to find Asami in the kitchen.

“Hey, I’m h- here.” Korra still felt weird referring to Asami’s apartment as home. She knew she could and Asami didn’t mind, but it still didn’t feel right. It didn't matter, though. Tonight she was going to take the first step to change that. Granted, the first of  _ a lot _ of steps, nevertheless, the first one. “You cooking?” She asked, shocked.

“Hey.” Asami greeted her with a peck on the lips as Korra approached her. “’Course not. I’m heating yesterday’s leftovers.”

“Oh, ok, that’s more like it.” Korra was hungry, so she started helping Asami right away. She set the table while gathering the guts to start the conversation she had been dreading for almost four months now. They were sat and eating when she finally did. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.” She wasn’t able to keep the anxiety away from her tone and noticed her girlfriend tensing immediately.

Asami searched her eyes. “Yeah?” She asked, in a breathy, low tone. Whatever she had been looking for, she apparently found, because the tension in her body seemed to build up, until she let it all out through a long sigh. “I knew this moment would come.”

Korra took her hand and squeezed, trying to convey that everything would be ok, even though she didn’t know that yet. She still had to speak her thoughts before being sure. “Asami, I-” It was Korra’s time to sigh, trying to release her own tension. “I need to go home, babe.”

Asami gulped and turned her hand up to meet Korra’s and intertwined their fingers. “Yeah?” This time, it was almost a whine.

Korra couldn’t deal with the expression on Asami’s face any longer and started blurting all the things she had been thinking about before she lost her guts. “Yeah, yes.” She rubbed her face. “I don’t necessarily want to, but I need to. And, in a manner, I also want to. Of course,  _ of course _ , I don’t want to be a whole ocean apart from you.” She smiled and Asami bit her lower lip, trying to hold the tears that were starting to gather in her eyes. “But, the longer I stay here, the harder it’ll get for me to leave, and I just-.” She huffed. “I need to see my parents, talk to them, explain that I’m alright. That I kind of know what I’m doing.” She scrunched her face. Was that a stretch? No, she knew more of it now than when she first got to Oslo. “I’m sure now that I don’t want to keep traveling right away. I need to settle some things at home so I can continue school, finish the damn thing, and move on for whatever plan I decide to choose.”

At that, Asami leaned her head, confused. “What do you mean settle things at home?”

_ Here we go _ . “I’ve been talking to the head of the music department back in my uni. I-” She chuckled, her heart was going so fast, she thought she was going to faint. ”There’s nothing certain yet, I just wanted to be sure it was possible before talking to you about it, you know. But, I’ve been talking to him, the head of the department, that is.”

“Korra.” Asami squeezed her hands, trying to convey to her girlfriend that she could speak freely. “Will you just say it, already?”

Korra sighed.  _ Ok, you can do this. It’s ok.  _ “I’ve been talking to him about transferring...” She had thought and thought and thought about it again. Was it a sensible step to take? Choosing to change her life so much just to be near someone she loved? She had thought about her relationship with Kuvira, was she making the same mistakes as before? Forfeiting pieces of herself to shape herself into someone else’s life? She had thought loads and she had concluded it wasn’t the case. Yes, she would be moving a whole ocean away from Canada, because Asami was there. But it wasn’t just Asami. In those last three months, she had built a life in Oslo that she was content about.

But most importantly, throughout her trip around Europe, she had seen absolutely amazing places, she had visited museums and churches thousands of years old. She had seen different cultures and eaten different food. But the thing that stuck with her the most from her time on the road was the people she met. She had been to stunning locations alone and she had gone to small parks in the middle of big cities with friends she had made in hostels and those...  _ those _ were always the memories that brought the warmest feeling in her heart. People were what made a place feel like home, more than the place itself. And that was simply the thing about Oslo. Bolin was here, sweet, funny Bolin, with his sturdy way of caring for the people around him. Opal and her uplifted manner, Jinora and her witty mind. She had grown to love them all, they were her friends and she wasn’t afraid to call them  _ her people _ .

So, yeah, she wouldn’t be moving to Oslo exclusively because of Asami, but Asami was obviously a big part of the reasons she wanted to come. Korra didn’t believe that relationships could last forever, but she wanted to be near Asami now and if she could, if she had the means to do so, while Asami couldn’t leave Oslo because of company and her master degree, why wouldn’t she? “He says it’s possible, I would have to go back, take a few classes, you know, be back on the program,  _ be there _ . But after that, he thinks it’s possible. What do you think?” Her brows were high, a hopeful expression on her face.

Asami’s brows, however, were the opposite, furrowed. “Transferring?” She blinked a few times as realization finally found her. “Transferring to Oslo?” Korra nodded, silently because Asami’s reaction was a bit different than any of the ones Korra had expected.  _ She seems pissed?  _ “Korra!” Now, she sounded exasperated. “You’re thinking about transferring to Oslo and the way you found to start this fucking conversation is telling me that you need to go home?” She spoke, exasperation being immediately replaced by relief, one of those loud belly-laughs of hers casting away all the tension in the room. “You almost killed me, Korra.  _ I’m _ going to kill you!”

It was Korra’s turn to blink before chuckling her own tension away. “So, you like it? It’s not certain, we just exchanged a few emails about it, but he said it’s possible.”

Asami bit her lip to contain her happiness. “Korra, I love it. It’s perfect. We’ve got a few nice options for music degrees here in Oslo. It’ll probably be better than the one you’d get in Canada, even.” She paused. “And you’ll be here...” As another thought seemed to enter her mind, her eyes were sparkling. “Are you gonna bring Naga?”

“That’s another thing I wanted to discuss with you.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “I mean, I was already thinking about maybe searching for a place. I didn’t want to presume you’d want me to stay here, but yeah, Naga would come, too. And if that’s a no-no for you, then I’d definitely be looking for a place to stay.”

“Korra, of course, I’d want you to stay here.” She paused, doubt showing in her expression. “Unless... Would you rather get your own place? Is that why you’re asking?”

“No! No, I just didn’t want to -.” She trailed off.  _ Impose _ was kind of a prohibited word between them. Asami had banished the word completely from her apartment, tired of hearing Korra say it over and over again.  _ “This is your place, too. You’re even paying for it, now. No more of this imposing shit.” _

Asami searched her eyes, looking for truthiness in Korra’s statement, she found doubt instead. “Babe, if you come to Oslo to study, I’d like you to stay with me.” She squeezed Korra’s hand again, and Korra noticed that they had been holding hands throughout the whole conversation. “I know it’s a bit unconventional, but we’ve been living together for more than three months now, I don’t think I’d want you to move out simply because it’s the expected thing to do. We’re good together.” She paused, trying to read Korra’s reaction before continuing, Korra’s expression was still unsure. “Tell you what, when you come, we can try and keep living together, you, me, and Naga.” She almost wasn’t able to contain the giddiness in her voice and chuckled as Korra smiled at her. “I’ve always wanted to have a dog but never had the guts to get one myself. Anyways, we can try this way, and if it doesn’t go as we planned, which I doubt, you can look for a place for yourself. Naga will probably stay, though, 'cause dogs love me.” She chuckled and Korra seemed to relax at her words, before processing the last part.

“In your dreams! Naga loves me too much for that.” She paused. “But ok, you' vê got yourself a deal.”

“Perfect!” Asami said, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. “So, when are we leaving for Canada?”

Korra froze. “We?”

**The end.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert: Korra transfers.  
> I have no idea how expensive that would be, so let's just say that Asami lends Korra some money if need be.  
> Asami goes to Canada with Korra and spends maybe a couple of weeks. She ~meets the parents~  
> I think Korra stays something like three months studying before finally getting accepted in some university in Oslo  
> The reunion is heartfelt  
> Naga loves Asami, Korra gets jealous sometimes  
> They travel frequently  
> .  
> And that's it for my headcanons. Do you guys have any you'd like to share?  
> .  
> I'm a strange mix of happiness and sadness about the end of this story, guys. Thank you so much for this amazing experience, for keeping me company, for appreciating my story, ughh I'm getting emotional, which is dumb, so yeah, I'll see myself out now  
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Feel welcome to come chat, I'd love to know my readers, if I get any.  
> It's 2020 and we still stan Korrasami, yay.


End file.
